Making CD45 a single CAR‑T target for many blood cancers
Official title: Next-generation genetic engineering of the pan-leukocyte antigen CD45 to facilitate CAR-T cell therapy against hematologic malignancies
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11192827 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project alters immune cells so CD45 can be safely targeted, aiming to create one CAR‑T approach that could treat multiple blood cancers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2017 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $525,419 |
| NIH project number | 5P01CA214278-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11192827 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with B‑cell or other hematologic malignancies who might be eligible for CAR‑T approaches and are willing to consider novel engineered‑cell therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with solid tumors or blood disorders not related to hematologic malignancies are unlikely to benefit from this CD45‑focused approach.
What this research studies
If I were a patient with a blood cancer, researchers would explain that CAR‑T cells usually target markers found on a single cell type, but CD45 is present on most blood cells which makes it hard to target safely. Because T cells themselves express CD45, CAR‑T cells against CD45 can kill each other and lose function, so the team will genetically change T cells and hematopoietic stem cells to remove or modify CD45. They will test these engineered cells in the lab and in preclinical models to show they can survive, work against cancer, and be safely reintroduced. The long-term aim is to develop a single CAR‑T product that could be used across many hematologic malignancies instead of needing a different CAR‑T for each disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could allow one off‑the‑shelf CAR‑T approach to treat many types of blood cancer, speeding up access to cellular therapy.
How similar studies have gone: CAR‑T therapies targeting lineage markers like CD19 and BCMA have been very successful clinically, but targeting a pan‑hematologic antigen like CD45 is a newer, largely preclinical strategy.
Where this research is happening
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University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gill, Saar — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Gill, Saar
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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.