CAR T cell treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer
Official title: Project 4: Activity of CAR T cell Therapy for Patients with Metastatic TNBC
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11181670 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This gives people with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer a personalized treatment using their own T cells modified to target the B7‑H3 protein.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | August 5, 1997 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $365,428 |
| NIH project number | 5P50CA058223-30 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181670 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with metastatic triple‑negative breast cancer whose tumors express B7‑H3 and who can safely undergo T‑cell collection and infusion would be the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with early‑stage TNBC, tumors that do not express B7‑H3, or those who are too frail for cell collection or infusion may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
Doctors will collect a patient's own T cells, engineer them to recognize the B7‑H3 protein, and infuse those CAR‑T cells back into patients in a Phase I clinical infusion at UNC. The team is also developing dual CAR‑T cells that target both B7‑H3 and CSPG4 to reduce tumor escape and better cover diverse tumor cells. To address brain metastases, researchers will engineer CAR‑T cells to express CCR2b to improve trafficking across the blood‑brain barrier and will test immune‑modifying combinations that may boost activity. Lab and mouse studies will guide which engineered CAR designs and combinations move forward for patient use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could provide a new targeted therapy that shrinks metastatic TNBC tumors and may reach brain metastases.
How similar studies have gone: CAR‑T therapies have transformed some blood cancers but have had limited success in solid tumors so far; B7‑H3 targeting shows encouraging preclinical results but clinical evidence is still preliminary.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dotti, Gianpietro — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Dotti, Gianpietro
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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.