Using special iNKT immune cells to prevent transplant complications and fight blood cancers
Biology and Immunotherapy of iNKT Cells
['FUNDING_P01'] · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · NIH-11197506
Researchers are developing therapies that use invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells to lower graft-versus-host disease after bone marrow transplant and help attack blood cancers.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_P01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | STANFORD UNIVERSITY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (STANFORD, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11197506 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you need or had an allogeneic (donor) bone marrow or stem cell transplant for blood cancer, this project focuses on a rare immune cell called iNKT that can both calm harmful immune reactions and kill cancer cells. Scientists are studying how iNKT cells control graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and how adding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) to iNKT cells can boost their cancer-killing ability. The work combines laboratory studies, animal models, and plans to move promising approaches into early human clinical trials. The goal is to turn basic discoveries about iNKT cell behavior into a safe treatment you could receive during or after transplant.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would be people undergoing or who recently had allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematologic malignancies, or patients with certain B-cell blood cancers being considered for cell therapy.
Not a fit: Patients with unrelated solid tumors, those not eligible for transplant or cell therapy, or people whose cancers do not express target molecules like CD1d may not benefit from this specific approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This approach could reduce dangerous GVHD while improving control of blood cancers, making transplants safer and more effective.
How similar studies have performed: CAR-T cell therapies for B-cell cancers have produced major successes, while iNKT-based treatments are newer and have shown promising results in lab and early-phase work but are less proven in large clinical trials.
Where this research is happening
STANFORD, UNITED STATES
- STANFORD UNIVERSITY — STANFORD, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: NEGRIN, ROBERT S — STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- Study coordinator: NEGRIN, ROBERT S
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.