Engager T cell therapy: a ready-to-use immune therapy for B cell cancers
Official title: Engager T cell: A Simple Solution for "Off-the-shelf" T Cell Therapy for Cancer
Funded at Immunebro Therapeutics INC. · NIH-11314650 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new off-the-shelf donor-engager T cell therapy aims to treat B cell cancers quickly and more affordably without patient-specific cell manipulation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Immunebro Therapeutics INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,351,438 |
| NIH project number | 2R44CA281523-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11314650 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with refractory/relapsed B cell leukemia or lymphoma who could benefit from off-the-shelf T cell therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without B cell malignancies or those who cannot tolerate T cell therapies may not benefit.
What this research studies
This grant supports developing a simple, allogeneic, off-the-shelf T cell product designed to kill B cell cancers like B-Cell Leukemia and lymphomas. The approach avoids genetic CAR engineering and focuses on a donor engager T cell platform to reduce manufacturing complexity and cost. The project seeks to overcome graft-versus-host and host-versus-graft barriers to make a safe, immediate-treatment option for patients in need. It combines preclinical and early clinical development steps to demonstrate safety, potency, and scalability of IBT1116.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could access effective T cell therapy more quickly and at lower cost.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier off-the-shelf approaches face safety and manufacturing challenges; this project proposes a novel donor engager T cell platform with potential for improved practicality.
Where this research is happening
-
Immunebro Therapeutics INC.
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Li, Gongbo — Immunebro Therapeutics INC.
- Study coordinator: Li, Gongbo
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.