Three-part immune engager to help natural killer cells remove lupus-causing B cells
Official title: Trispecific Killer Cell Engager for the Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11318917 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new three-part immune molecule aims to help natural killer cells better find and remove the B cells that drive lupus in people with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | April 9, 2025 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $196,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R21AI189372-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11318917 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with systemic lupus erythematosus—particularly those with active disease or lupus nephritis and persistent B cells despite standard treatments—would be the most relevant candidates for future studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose disease is driven mainly by non-B-cell processes, those with active serious infections, or pregnant people may not benefit from a B cell–targeted NK engager.
What this research studies
The team is designing a "trispecific" molecule that links disease-causing B cells to natural killer (NK) cells and boosts the NK cells' killing activity. They will create versions of this engager in the lab and test how well it triggers NK cells to clear autoantibody-producing B cells using human immune cells and laboratory models. Early safety and activity will be measured in lab assays and preclinical models to show proof-of-concept before any human trials. If those tests go well, this work could lead to clinical studies where patients donate samples or receive the therapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could more completely remove autoreactive B cells, reduce autoantibody levels and flares, and lower the need for long-term broad immunosuppression in people with lupus.
How similar studies have gone: Monoclonal antibodies that deplete B cells have helped some people with lupus but often leave tissue or memory B cells behind, and trispecific NK-engager molecules are a newer approach with promising lab and oncology signals but limited testing in lupus so far.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hatefi, Arash — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Hatefi, Arash
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Immunostimulatory short non-coding RNAs and lupus
A study in people with lupus looks at tiny RNA pieces that may spark inflammation, to understand if they drive disease activity.
-
Antiviral factors that limit HIV in people with SLE
Researchers at Howard University are studying how immune factors in people with lupus may help limit HIV infection.
-
Mechanistic clues about lupus from immune disorders
This grant looks at why certain immune disorders in people with genetic immune problems lead to lupus-like symptoms, by studying patients and mouse models.
-
Subjective thinking challenges in adults with lupus as they age
This grant aims to understand how lupus-related cognitive problems affect adults, especially older adults, and tests a real-time method to track daily fluctuations in those symptoms.
-
Mitochondrial targets of antibodies in lupus (SLE)
A Johns Hopkins-led study will identify which mitochondrial membrane proteins are targeted by autoantibodies in lupus patients to understand how these immune attacks fuel the disease.
-
Influenza, Hydroxychloroquine, and the Windows of Self-Peptide Presentation in Lupus
A doctor-researcher is studying how flu infection and the lupus medication hydroxychloroquine change the way the immune system shows self-parts to trigger or prevent lupus flares in kids.
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.