Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42715334›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

TCR-JANUS engager proteins enable bispecific targeting to overcome tumor heterogeneity in TCR-T cell therapy.

Chenxi Cheng, Ting Liang, Pengju Yao, Wenling Wang, Huxuan Chen, Xiaowen Li, Ying Tian, Jie Wang, Ni Yan, Danli Xie and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Chenxi ChengInnovative Vaccine and Immunotherapy Research Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7674-272X
Ting LiangLaboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0009-0004-6227-3394
Pengju YaoInnovative Vaccine and Immunotherapy Research Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0009-0005-1110-9313
Wenling WangLaboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0009-0004-9449-3527
Huxuan ChenLaboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0009-0009-5433-5539
Xiaowen LiLaboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0009-0002-2950-6032
Ying TianInnovative Vaccine and Immunotherapy Research Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Jie WangInnovative Vaccine and Immunotherapy Research Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Ni YanLaboratory of Pathogen Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.ORCID 0009-0007-5434-7754
Danli XieThe School of Laboratory Medicine & Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Ministry of Education of China, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Fuming QiuDepartment of Medical Oncology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5793-1023
Shuguang TanInnovative Vaccine and Immunotherapy Research Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.ORCID 0000-0002-2599-4959

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

T cell receptor (TCR)-based immunotherapy is limited by tumor antigen heterogeneity, which frequently leads to relapse. We developed a bispecific TCR-JANUS engager that functions synergistically with TCR engineered T cells (TCR-T). In contrast to conventional T cell engagers targeting CD3, TCR-JANUS engages both the variable region of a transgenic TCR (TRBV) and a tumor surface antigen. Using a model system targeting a humanized KRAS-G12V-specific TCR and trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2), we show that TCR-JANUS effectively redirects TCR-T cells to lyse Trop2-expressing tumor cells while preserving intrinsic specificity toward the cognate pHLA target, thereby enabling simultaneous dual-antigen recognition. In heterogeneous tumor models, the combination of TCR-JANUS with TCR-T cells, an integrated system termed T Cell Dual Arsenal Recon, potently suppressed tumor growth by clearing antigenically divergent populations. Moreover, TCR-JANUS maintained enhanced T cell functionality with reduced exhaustion compared to anti-CD3-based engagers upon chronic stimulation. Together, this approach offers a targeted and durable strategy to overcome antigenic heterogeneity, expanding the clinical prospects of TCR-T cell therapy for solid tumors.

Indexed as

Immunotherapy, AdoptiveNeoplasmsReceptors, Antigen, T-CellT-LymphocytesAnimalsAntigens, NeoplasmCell Line, TumorHumansMiceAntigens, NeoplasmReceptors, Antigen, T-Cell

Identifiers

PMID42715334
PMCPMC13557068

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.