Here, we report a dual-modality cell labeling and tracking strategy based on indocyanine green-conjugated iron nanoparticles (ICG-NPs) for in vivo assessment of B7-H3-targeting CAR-T cell (TX103) biodistribution using second near-infrared window (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)...Furthermore, organ-level NIR-II exposure showed a positive association with CD3⁺ T-cell density across organs (R2 = 0.552, p < 0.001), supported by multi-organ pathological validation. Collectively, we establish a biocompatible dual-modality workflow that links intracranial anatomical localization with longitudinal whole-body biodistribution readouts for preclinical CAR-T tracking in solid tumor models.
Our study highlights the importance of understanding tumor-specific factors that limit CAR T-cell response and using this information to design superior next-generation CAR T-cells. Specifically, we identify cytoskeleton remodeling and T cell motility as therapeutically actionable targets for future engineering approaches.
This study retrospectively applies TIAN criteria to patients with DIPG/pontine DMG treated with intraventricular B7-H3 CAR T cells in the BrainChild-03 (BC-03) trial (NCT04185038)...TIAN was common within this cohort but mostly low-grade and transient. Refining its classification and understanding its clinical impact will aid safety assessments and trial comparisons for CNS-directed CAR T therapies.