In Vivo Engineering of BCMA CAR T Cells for Multiple Myeloma
Official title: In Vivo Engineering of Virus-Specific T Cells for CAR T Cell Therapy Against Multiple Myeloma
Funded at Georgia Institute of Technology · NIH-11367782 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new NIH grant aims to develop lipid nanoparticle systems that deliver BCMA CAR instructions directly to patients’ immune cells to treat multiple myeloma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgia Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $705,899 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA304559-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11367782 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with multiple myeloma whose disease could be targeted by BCMA CAR T cells and who are able to provide or have access to autologous or donor-derived T cells for research relevance.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose disease is not driven by BCMA or who cannot receive nanoparticle-based approaches due to safety concerns may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on making CAR T therapy faster and more accessible by engineering T cells inside the body using specially designed lipid nanoparticles. Researchers will test these nanoparticles in mouse models that use human and patient-derived T cells to see if they can safely boost anti-tumor activity. They will also combine this approach with dendritic cell vaccines to further enhance T cell responses. The work will compare non-autologous and autologous T cells to understand efficacy and safety in different contexts. Animal studies are essential here to mirror human immune interactions before any potential human trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with multiple myeloma could receive effective CAR T therapy more quickly and possibly at lower costs.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical work with BCMA CAR T cells and nanoparticle delivery has shown promise, but in vivo delivery strategies are still being optimized and validated in animal models.
Where this research is happening
-
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kwong, Gabriel a — Georgia Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Kwong, Gabriel a
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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CTO1681: reducing dangerous immune reactions in patients getting CAR T-cell therapy
A new oral drug (CTO1681) aims to prevent and lessen cytokine release syndrome in patients with blood cancers treated with CAR T-cell therapy.
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Improving durability of responses after CAR T therapy for myeloma
This grant explores new CAR T cell approaches to keep multiple myeloma patients in remission longer after initial treatment success.
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BCMA CAR-T therapy with opaganib for ultrahigh risk multiple myeloma
A first-in-human-style treatment using a patient’s own CAR-T cells plus a targeted drug to help people with very high-risk multiple myeloma live longer and better.
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Make CAR T therapy last longer for multiple myeloma
This project tries CAR T cells made from bone marrow immune cells to help people with multiple myeloma stay in remission longer.
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Integrative study of multiple myeloma genetics and disease biology
A team at Dana-Farber and partners is pursuing a long-term project to understand the genetic and molecular drivers of multiple myeloma and how treatments interact with disease biology.
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Comparative Modeling to Prevent, Detect Early, and Treat Multiple Myeloma
A research team will build and compare computer models to understand how multiple myeloma develops, can be detected earlier, and treated more effectively.
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.