Modular screening platform to optimize CAR designs for targeted immune therapy
Official title: Development of a modular customizable screening platform for chimeric antigenreceptor optimization
Funded at Sollus Therapeutics, INC. · NIH-11409809 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small, early-stage project to create a high-throughput system that tests many CAR designs to improve T cell immunotherapies for diseases where the immune system attacks the body.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sollus Therapeutics, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $322,576 |
| NIH project number | 1R41TR006357-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11409809 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with autoimmune conditions or related diseases where CAR-T approaches are being explored and who could participate in future design validation studies or trials.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not eligible for CAR-T therapy research or with conditions not linked to the targeted antigens may have no direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to speed up how we test different CAR designs so scientists can find safer, more effective versions for various targets. It will build a modular platform that can screen many CAR configurations and analyze how changes affect T cell behavior and potency. By focusing on issues like unwanted signaling and how well CARs recognize targets, the work could lay the groundwork for better treatments in autoimmune diseases and related conditions. The project combines experimental screening with computational modeling to predict which designs work best before moving toward clinical testing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from more effective and safer CAR-T therapies with better control over immune activation.
How similar studies have gone: Other CAR design studies have shown that modular, high-throughput approaches can identify designs with improved signaling and potency, though this exact platform is novel in scope.
Where this research is happening
-
Sollus Therapeutics, INC.
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Black, Joshua — Sollus Therapeutics, INC.
- Study coordinator: Black, Joshua
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.