Optimization of energy and carbon–nitrogen allocation maximizes the proliferation and functionality of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells. Lakhani et al. report that tonic signalling elements (scFvs) affect CAR-T cell metabolic fitness in an antigen-independent manner. A modest carbon–nitrogen emission (overflow) and resilient metabolic phenotype (compatibility) are associated with effective CAR-T cell therapy.
- Haopeng Wang
- Yuwei Huang
- Ruoning Wang