Stopping a self-destruct signal to help lab-made T cells fight tumors
Death receptor signaling as an immune checkpoint in tumor-specific iPSC-T cell function
This project tries to make T cells made from stem cells survive longer and kill cancer cells better for people who need T cell therapies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R37 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11241117 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are making T cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) so they can edit and grow large, uniform batches of therapeutic T cells. They will study a “self-destruct” pathway called Fas/FasL that may cause these lab-made T cells to die when they repeatedly meet tumor cells. Using lab-grown thymus-like organoids and gene or antibody approaches, the team will test ways to block that pathway and measure whether the edited T cells persist and keep killing tumor cells. The work aims to define changes that could make off-the-shelf or engineered T cell therapies more durable.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with cancers that can be treated with T cell therapies—such as certain leukemias or other tumors eligible for cell therapy trials—would be the most relevant candidates for future trials based on this work.
Not a fit: People without cancers treatable by T cell therapies, those ineligible for cell therapy trials, or patients needing immediate standard treatments are unlikely to benefit directly from this basic and preclinical research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to more durable, off-the-shelf T cell therapies that persist longer in patients and produce stronger anti-tumor responses.
How similar studies have performed: Autologous CAR-T therapies have shown clear success for some blood cancers, but using iPSC-derived T cells and targeting Fas/FasL to boost persistence is largely experimental and remains at the preclinical stage.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- University of California Los Angeles — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Seet, Christopher — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Seet, Christopher
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.