Combining engineered T cells, NK cells, and macrophages to boost immune therapy
Combinatorial engineering of a three-cell synthetic immunotherapy system
Trying matched combinations of engineered immune cells (T cells, NK cells, and macrophages) to create a coordinated therapy that could better help people with cancers or autoimmune diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11291863 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project aims to build a cooperative immune-cell therapy by engineering three cell types — T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages — to work together rather than alone. Researchers will make libraries of engineered receptors (CARs and synthetic cytokine receptors), mix and match them across the three cell types, and test many combinations in lab and disease models. They will use the experimental results to create computer models that predict how the mixed cell therapies behave over time and to pick the most promising pairs. This is early, preclinical work intended to identify combinations that could move toward future human trials.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: In the future, people with cancers or autoimmune disorders that are resistant to current treatments — and who are eligible for cell therapy trials — would be the likely candidates for these combination therapies.
Not a fit: Patients with conditions unrelated to immune-driven disease, or those needing immediate standard-of-care treatment, are unlikely to benefit directly from this early laboratory research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to new cell therapies that coordinate multiple immune cell types for stronger, potentially safer treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease.
How similar studies have performed: Individual CAR T, CAR NK, and CAR-macrophage approaches have shown promise in early work, but combining all three cell types into a coordinated therapy is a novel and largely untested idea.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Daniels, Kyle Gabriel — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Daniels, Kyle Gabriel
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 below.