T cell 'living sensors' to find hidden dormant breast cancer cells
Finding Sleeping Beauty: T Cell Biosensors for Dormant Cancer Detection
Researchers are building engineered T cells that act like living sensors to find hidden, dormant breast cancer cells in the blood and bone marrow.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgia Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11167753 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project engineers a patient’s immune cells (T cells) with tumor-targeting receptors and genetic circuits so they light up or report when they encounter dormant disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). The team will design biosensor circuits that recognize cancer-specific antigens and produce detectable signals without causing full immune attack. Work will combine lab-based testing with human-derived samples from blood and bone marrow to tune sensitivity and specificity. The goal is a tool that could one day monitor remission and catch cancer reawakening earlier than current methods.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people previously treated for estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer who are in remission but at risk for late recurrence and who can provide blood or bone marrow samples.
Not a fit: People with cancers that do not spread via dormant disseminated tumor cells, patients with widespread active metastases, or those unwilling to provide samples are unlikely to benefit from this specific approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could let clinicians detect dormant cancer cells earlier, enabling closer monitoring or preventive treatment before metastatic relapse.
How similar studies have performed: Engineered T cells (like CAR‑T) have produced major successes in some blood cancers, but using T cells as biosensors to detect dormant solid‑tumor cells is largely novel and experimental.
Where this research is happening
Atlanta, United States
- Georgia Institute of Technology — Atlanta, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kwong, Gabriel a — Georgia Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Kwong, Gabriel a
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.