Smarter cell-based tests to detect tumors
Engineering recombinase circuits for cellular diagnostic devices
Engineered immune cells will be built to amplify faint cancer signals so tumors can be detected more accurately for people with suspected or known cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11310837 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, researchers will engineer mammalian immune cells with recombinase-based genetic circuits that amplify weak tumor signals and combine multiple biomarker inputs. They will design and test small-molecule switches and logic gates so the cells only report when the right combination of tumor markers is present. The team will validate these circuits in lab-grown human cells and in mouse models to improve sensitivity and specificity. If the lab work looks promising, the approach could be advanced toward clinical testing.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with suspected or known cancer who might need more sensitive tumor detection could be future candidates for related clinical testing.
Not a fit: People without cancer or whose tumors do not produce the targeted biomarkers are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could enable cell-based diagnostics that find cancers earlier and more reliably than current imaging or blood tests.
How similar studies have performed: Previous single-input cell reporters have detected tumors in mice, but using multi-input recombinase logic to amplify and integrate signals is novel and not yet proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston University (Charles River Campus) — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wong, Wilson — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: Wong, Wilson
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.