Engineered T cells that release TNF-alpha to better attack solid tumors
TNF-alpha-"armed" TCR vectors to enhance adoptive cell therapy for solid tumors
This work aims to make engineered T cells that release a helpful immune protein called TNF-alpha at the tumor site to improve treatment for people with solid cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11300997 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would have immune cells taken from your blood and reprogrammed to recognize your tumor and to produce TNF-alpha only when they find cancer, so they become more active inside the tumor. The team has built viral vectors that carry both a tumor-targeting receptor and TNF-alpha and seen stronger tumor-killing in lab dishes and humanized mouse models. They plan to test these TNF-armed receptors across several tumor targets to find which combinations work best. Early studies showed the extra TNF-alpha was produced in a tumor-dependent way and did not cause obvious whole-body inflammation in preclinical tests.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people with solid tumors that express the specific targets used by the engineered TCR or CAR and who are eligible for adoptive cell transfer therapies.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumors lack the targeted antigen, who are not eligible for cell therapy, or who have conditions that make TNF-related inflammation unsafe may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make adoptive T-cell therapies work better against solid tumors that currently respond poorly to existing engineered T-cell treatments.
How similar studies have performed: While CAR/TCR cell therapies have been very successful in some blood cancers, success in solid tumors has been limited, and cytokine-armed T cells are a newer preclinical strategy with promising animal data but limited clinical testing so far.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- University of California Los Angeles — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nowicki, Theodore Scott — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Nowicki, Theodore Scott
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.