Blocking fatty acid uptake to help CAR-T work better for relapsed B‑cell ALL
Official title: Inhibiting Free Fatty Acid Transport to Improve CAR-T Cell Therapy of Relapsed B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Funded at University of Colorado Denver · NIH-11261188 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at whether stopping leukemia cells from taking up fatty acids can help CD19 CAR‑T therapy work better for children and young adults with relapsed B‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado Denver NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Aurora, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | January 20, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $464,293 |
| NIH project number | 5R37CA295527-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261188 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children and young adults with relapsed or refractory CD19+ B‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, particularly those whose leukemia carries TP53 mutations.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without CD19+ B‑cell leukemia, those in long‑term remission, or those with unrelated cancers are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are focusing on a protein called FATP2 that helps B‑ALL cells absorb long‑chain fatty acids and may make them resistant to CAR‑T treatment. They will use lab experiments including genome‑wide CRISPR screens in leukemia cell lines and metabolic tracing to see how blocking FATP2 changes leukemia cell behavior. The team will also analyze pediatric patient tumor data to link FATP2 levels and TP53 mutations with outcomes. If the lab signals are strong, the findings could point toward combining FATP2 inhibition with CD19 CAR‑T in future clinical testing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make CAR‑T therapy more effective and reduce relapses for children and young adults with relapsed CD19+ B‑cell ALL.
How similar studies have gone: Some preclinical studies show fatty acid uptake can affect immune responses to tumors, but using FATP2 inhibition to boost CAR‑T for pediatric B‑ALL is largely novel and not yet proven in patients.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado Denver
Aurora, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Witkowski, Matthew — University of Colorado Denver
- Study coordinator: Witkowski, Matthew
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Improving CAR T-cell therapy for pediatric B-ALL
A physician-scientist at St. Jude aims to advance CAR T-cell therapy for children with high-risk B-ALL by testing new donor-derived and enhanced autologous CAR T-cell approaches in early-phase trials.
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Improving CAR-T cell therapy for children with relapsed B-cell leukemia
This study is looking at how blocking certain fatty acids might make CAR-T cell therapy work better for kids and young adults with relapsed B-cell leukemia, especially those with specific gene changes, to help them get better when other treatments haven't worked.
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Improving CAR T-cell therapy for children with leukemia
This study is looking at a new kind of CAR T-cell therapy for kids with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL) to see if using special donor cells can make the treatment safer and more effective, while also helping the cells stay in the body longer to keep the cancer from coming back.
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Caregiver-led mobile tool to support healthy habits for kids treated for ALL
A caregiver-directed mobile program helps children who were treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia build healthier daily routines.
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Genomics of childhood ALL across global populations
A wide-ranging study looks at how inherited genetics influence the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia around the world.
-
Genomics of childhood ALL across diverse populations
A large international study will look at why children everywhere get acute lymphoblastic leukemia and how genetics may influence risk.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.