Immunotherapy is revolutionising medicine, empowering the body’s immune system to combat tumors and autoimmune conditions with exceptional precision.

Cascade-Primed (CAPRI) cell therapy, an advanced form of adoptive cell therapy (ACT), targets malignancies, autoimmune disorders, and persistent infections, offering a low-risk, highly effective approach to complex health challenges. With over three decades of development, CAPRI’s robust scientific foundation and clinical potential mark it as a transformative therapy.

Unlike most adoptive cell therapies, CAPRI activates monocytes, key antigen-presenting cells, and leverages existing immunological memory to stimulate naïve T killer and helper lymphocytes. This enhances targeted cytotoxicity against cancer cells and pathogens like Helicobacter pylori or Chlamydia spp., which, like HPV in cervical cancer, have been associated with significant burden of disease [1, 2, 3].

In contrast to other adoptive cell therapies, CAPRI requires no tumor biopsies or genetic engineering and uses comparatively low cell doses to keep side effects minimal [4, 11].

The cell preparation process isolates peripheral blood mononuclear cells, stimulates them with anti-CD3 antibodies and IL-2, and primes T cells for highly specific, potent immune responses [4]. CAPRI cell therapy accounts for genetic variations in immune genes, and optimises the desired immune response by reestablishing the immune system's ability to distinguish between self and non-self [5, 6]

Developed in the early 1990s by Rudolf Wank’s team at the University of Munich, Germany, CAPRI earned the 2006 Science Award from the German Society of Immunogenetics for its pioneering role in cancer immunotherapy.

Early trials in 1990 demonstrated success in treating recurrent miscarriages, revealing CAPRI’s broader potential [7]. Studies from 2002 to 2005 linked chronic Chlamydia spp. infections to schizophrenia, expanding CAPRI’s applications to neurological disorders [8].

Clinical reports from 2012 to 2013 showed markedly prolonged survival in stage IIIB/IV non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, with one surviving over 120 months, and neurological improvements in a coma patient [9, 10]. A 2014 study confirmed CAPRI’s efficacy against breast cancer, resulting in significantly enhancing survival (53.16 ± 1.91 months, when combined with conventional treatments (30.54 ± 0.49 months) [4, 11]. A 2020 observational study in China further validated CAPRI’s benefits in NSCLC, demonstrating greatly improved survival of 48 months with CAPRI versus 31.6 months without [12].

CAPRI has shown remarkable efficacy across diverse conditions:

• Cancer: NSCLC patients achieved remission, with no viable tumor cells post-surgery [11].
• Autoimmune Diseases: Reduced inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, likely by clearing bacterial debris [7].
• Neurological Disorders: Improved symptoms in multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s, linked to infections like Bartonella [1, 10].

In collaboration with the scientific team in Munich, Consulting4Change is dedicated to making CAPRI accessible in resource-challenged environments, where effective yet affordable treatments are critically needed [1].

Since 2020, efforts to advance CAPRI’s manual production process have focused on scalability, with transitions to a semi-automated, fully GMP-compliant platform while supporting basic research with leading universities to refine CAPRI’s mechanisms, solidifying its role in precision medicine.