Fast, low-cost blood test to count CAR T cells
Monitoring CAR T Cell Therapeutic Response and Toxicity with Real-time, Label-free Cell Quantification
A quick, inexpensive blood test to count engineered CAR T cells in people getting CAR T therapy so doctors can monitor treatment and spot problems sooner.
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-11318925 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are receiving CAR T therapy, researchers aim to make a fast blood test that counts your engineered T cells using light-based signals. They will mix patient blood with tiny gold nanorods and use surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to capture optical fingerprints from single cells. Machine learning models will be trained to recognize and count CAR T cells among other blood cells, and samples will be digitized into tiny droplets so each cell can be read separately. The team plans to refine both the lab methods and the software to make real-time, low-cost monitoring possible at or near the point of care.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People currently receiving CAR T cell therapy who can provide small blood samples during and after treatment, typically at Stanford or a collaborating clinic.
Not a fit: People not receiving CAR T therapy or those whose care depends on different laboratory tests (for example, genetic sequencing rather than cell counts) are unlikely to benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could give clinicians a faster, cheaper way to track CAR T cell levels and detect early signs of toxicity or treatment failure.
How similar studies have performed: Label-free optical detection and machine-learning cell classification have shown lab-level promise, but applying SERS plus ML for CAR T counting in patient blood is a novel, unproven clinical approach.
Where this research is happening
Stanford, United States
- Stanford University — Stanford, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dionne, Jennifer a. — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Dionne, Jennifer a.
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.