Skip to main content
An official website of the United States government
Español
Government Funding Lapse
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at opm.gov.

CAR

A special receptor created in the laboratory that is designed to bind to certain proteins on cancer cells. The CAR is then added to immune cells called T cells. This helps the T cells find and kill cancer cells that have the specific protein that the receptor is designed to bind. These changed T cells called CAR T cells are then grown in large numbers in the laboratory and given to cancer patients. CAR T cells are being studied in the treatment of some types of cancer. Also called chimeric antigen receptor.
More Information
Search NCI's Dictionary of Cancer Terms