Using modified immune cells to treat certain blood cancers
Official title: Chimeric antigen receptor-modified iNKT cell therapy for CD7+ malignancies
Funded at Tinkeso Therapeutics INC · NIH-10603279 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is testing a new therapy using specially modified immune cells to help people with certain types of blood cancers, like T-cell leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, and aims to see if this approach can work better and be safer than current treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 1 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tinkeso Therapeutics INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Yorktown Heights, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $398,040 |
| NIH project number | 1R43CA277958-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-10603279 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are patients diagnosed with relapsed or refractory T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or acute myeloid leukemia.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other types of cancers or those who do not have T-ALL or AML may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing a new type of therapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) modified invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells to treat patients with specific blood cancers, such as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The approach aims to overcome challenges faced by traditional CAR-T cell therapies, particularly the issue of self-destruction of the modified cells. By utilizing CRISPR technology, the researchers plan to create a non-edited, CD7 CAR-modified iNKT cell product that can be expanded from healthy donors and tested for its effectiveness against cancer cells. Patients will be monitored for the safety and efficacy of this innovative treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could provide a new, effective treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory T-ALL and AML.
How similar studies have gone: While CAR-T therapies have shown success in treating certain blood cancers, this specific approach using iNKT cells and CRISPR technology is relatively novel and has not been extensively tested in clinical settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Tinkeso Therapeutics INC
Yorktown Heights, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhou, Xianzheng — Tinkeso Therapeutics INC
- Study coordinator: Zhou, Xianzheng
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.