Two-switch gene-controlled cell therapy for personalized lung cancer treatment
Personalization and Failure Testing of Dual Switch Gene Drives in Lung Cancer
['FUNDING_U01'] · PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE · NIH-11211303
This project creates a cell-based gene system with two on/off switches designed to steer and limit growth of certain non-small-cell lung cancers.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_U01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (UNIVERSITY PARK, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11211303 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, researchers are building engineered cell therapies that can sense drug signals and change their behavior using two programmable switches so the tumor evolves in a more controllable way. They focus on non-small-cell lung cancers driven by activated tyrosine kinases (like EGFR, ALK, ROS1, RET, TRK) and use lab-grown human cancer cells and mathematical models to design the circuits. The team will tune how the switches control reversible drug resistance and deliberately test how the systems can fail so they can be personalized to different tumor mutation patterns. This work is primarily laboratory proof-of-concept to guide future treatments that might be offered to patients.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with non-small-cell lung cancer driven by specific activated tyrosine kinases (for example EGFR, ALK, ROS1, RET, or TRK alterations) would be the ideal candidates for this personalized approach.
Not a fit: Patients without those targetable kinase alterations, those with small-cell lung cancer, or those needing immediate standard-of-care therapy are unlikely to benefit directly from this lab-based work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could produce cell therapies that reduce or delay drug resistance and make targeted treatments work longer for some lung cancer patients.
How similar studies have performed: Related engineered cell therapies (like CAR-T) have shown success in blood cancers, but using switch-controlled cell systems in solid tumors such as lung cancer is new and largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
UNIVERSITY PARK, UNITED STATES
- PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE — UNIVERSITY PARK, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: PRITCHARD, JUSTIN — PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE
- Study coordinator: PRITCHARD, JUSTIN
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.
Conditions: Cancer Biology, Cancer Genes, Cancer Patient, Cancer cell line, Cancer-Promoting Gene