Engineered T cells to image glioblastoma and track CAR‑T therapy
Engineered T cell-based imaging for glioblastoma and CAR-T cell tracking
Engineered immune cells are being used to make clearer PET scans of glioblastoma and to follow CAR‑T treatments for people with brain tumors.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11143181 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This work uses engineered immune cells that light up when they meet tumor markers so doctors can see tumors on PET scans. The team will build T cells with a sensor called SNIPR that releases a switch to turn on visible reporter genes after binding targets like EGFRvIII. Those reporter genes create signals detectable by immunoPET, with the goal of spotting glioblastoma earlier and tracking activated CAR‑T cells. Researchers will optimize and test these tools in the lab and preclinical models as a step toward future clinical use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with glioblastoma—especially those whose tumors express markers like EGFRvIII or who are receiving or considering CAR‑T therapy—would be most relevant to this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose tumors do not express the targeted markers, who have other types of brain tumors, or who are not candidates for CAR‑T therapy may not benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could let doctors detect glioblastoma earlier and directly see whether CAR‑T therapy reaches and activates against tumor cells.
How similar studies have performed: Early antibody-based immunoPET and reporter‑gene imaging studies have shown promise, but using engineered SNIPR T cells for amplified imaging is a novel approach that is largely untested in humans.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Roybal, Kole T — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Roybal, Kole T
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.