Improving CAR T-cell treatment for advanced prostate cancer
Official title: Optimizing Cell Therapy to Counter Adaptive Resistance Mechanisms in Prostate Cancer
Funded at Philadelphia VA Medical Center · NIH-11213957 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Testing improved engineered immune cells (CAR T cells) to better fight advanced prostate cancer in adult men.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Philadelphia VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | November 1, 2023 |
| Project end | October 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006247-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11213957 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adult men with advanced or metastatic prostate cancer, especially those whose tumors express PSMA and who have progressed on standard androgen-deprivation therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with early-stage localized prostate cancer, tumors that do not express PSMA, or those medically unable to undergo cell-collection or infusion procedures are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
You would have your own T cells taken and re-engineered in the lab to target a prostate cancer marker called PSMA and to resist signals in the tumor that normally turn immune cells off. The team will study how tumors adapt and increase local inhibitory molecules, then modify the CAR T cells (for example by blocking TGF-β and other suppressive pathways) so they remain active. Work will combine laboratory studies and information from treated patients to refine the cell design and safety monitoring. The aim is to find changes that make CAR T responses stronger and longer-lasting against metastatic prostate cancer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make CAR T treatments work more reliably and for longer in men with advanced prostate cancer, potentially extending survival.
How similar studies have gone: CAR T therapies have been highly successful in some blood cancers and early Phase I PSMA-directed CAR T trials showed PSA drops in some patients but were limited by adaptive tumor resistance.
Where this research is happening
-
Philadelphia VA Medical Center
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Posey, Avery D. — Philadelphia VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Posey, Avery D.
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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.