Improving gene delivery and CAR T cell engineering
Advanced development of composite gene delivery and CAR engineering systems
This project builds new ways to put therapeutic genes into immune cells and redesign CAR T cells to make cancer cell therapies stronger and safer for patients.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11179320 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient view, researchers are creating two toolkits to make therapeutic immune cells more powerful and less toxic. The first toolkit, called MAJESTIC, combines mRNA, AAV-related delivery, and a Sleeping-Beauty system to get genes into different immune cells efficiently and stably while minimizing harm to the cells. The second approach designs synthetic fusion tails to boost CAR T cell function and specificity. These approaches will be tested in cells and preclinical models and compared to current viral and editing methods to see if they create more potent, specific, and durable therapeutic cells.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Patients with cancers that are treated or potentially treated with CAR T cell therapies—especially those eligible for cell-based immunotherapy at major treatment centers—would be the likely candidates for future trials using these advancements.
Not a fit: People without cancer, or whose tumors do not express targets suitable for CAR approaches or who are not candidates for cell therapies, would not be expected to benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to CAR T cell treatments that are easier to make, work better against tumors, and cause fewer side effects.
How similar studies have performed: CAR T therapies have achieved clear success in certain blood cancers, but the specific composite gene-delivery and synthetic-tail engineering approaches here are new and remain unproven in patients.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chen, Sidi — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Chen, Sidi
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.