Tailoring iNKT Receptors to Improve Off-the-Shelf CAR Therapies for Solid Cancers
Official title: Tailoring iNKT Receptors to Overcome the Microenvironment Barrier: A Comparative Bench-to-Clinic Approach for CAR Therapy Success in Solid Cancer
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11449786 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A science team is improving off-the-shelf iNKT CAR therapies to treat solid tumors by optimizing the receptors that guide these immune cells.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $662,725 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA303022-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11449786 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be patients with solid tumors who are eligible for cellular immunotherapy and may benefit from CAR-iNKT–based treatment.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with tumors not responsive to immunotherapies or those unable to receive cellular therapies may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to make next-generation, ready-to-use cell therapies for solid tumors by refining invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells and their receptors. Researchers will create CAR-iNKT cells using optimized iTCR variants to boost tumor targeting, cytotoxicity, and supportive immune responses. The work combines bench experiments with steps toward clinical translation, including human and canine cell studies to understand how iTCR differences affect function. The goal is a scalable, donor-derived therapy that can overcome the tumor microenvironment barrier and reduce variability seen with current CAR-iNKT products.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with solid tumors could benefit from a more effective, off-the-shelf CAR-iNKT therapy that works across donors and tumor types.
How similar studies have gone: Early clinical studies show variable activity of CAR-iNKT products from different donors, indicating a need for optimization that this project directly addresses.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rotolo, Antonia — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Rotolo, Antonia
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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.