Understanding short- and long-term brain effects after CAR-T treatment
Official title: Comprehensive Molecular and Clinical Characterization of Acute and Chronic Neurotoxicity Following CAR-T Cell Therapy
Funded at Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research · NIH-11181244 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at why some adults who get CAR-T cell treatment develop early or lasting brain and thinking problems by tracking symptoms, brain scans, and blood markers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $652,194 |
| NIH project number | 5R01CA293922-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11181244 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (age 21+) with blood cancers who are about to receive or recently received CAR-T cell therapy are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not receiving CAR-T therapy, children under 21, or those with unrelated neurological disorders would not directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
You will be followed before and after CAR-T therapy with cognitive tests, symptom checks, and MRI brain scans to measure changes in memory, speech, and brain connections. Blood samples will be collected over time to measure inflammation-related molecules including the kynurenine (KYN) pathway and markers of nerve and glial cell injury. The team will combine clinical exams, imaging, and molecular data to find patterns linked to acute ICANS and longer-term cognitive changes. The goal is to identify markers that predict who is at risk and guide future approaches to prevent lasting problems.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify people at high risk for CAR-T–related brain problems and point to ways to prevent or treat those issues.
How similar studies have gone: Smaller pilot studies have linked inflammation and the KYN pathway to acute ICANS and shown short-term changes on cognitive testing and imaging, but longer-term outcomes and molecular drivers remain less proven.
Where this research is happening
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Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Santomasso, Bianca Denise — Sloan-Kettering Inst Can Research
- Study coordinator: Santomasso, Bianca Denise
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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.