The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a $452,544 Project Grant (R21CA280643) under the Cancer Treatment Research program (CFDA 93.395) to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA. The project aims to develop a novel therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of T cell receptor (TCR) immunotherapy for solid tumors by modulating the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The key objectives are to: 1) investigate how tumor-derived metabolite succinate promotes the induction and...
This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 Cancer Treatment Research) provides $1,293,505 to Sonoval LLC to develop a second-generation version of the Treg-depleting immunotherapy ONTAK, called SON-211. The key objectives are to characterize SON-211's ability to selectively rebalance immunosuppressive Treg cell subsets in solid tumors, optimize SON-211 production and manufacturing, and conduct pre-IND studies. If successful, SON-211 could enhance the efficacy of...
This $693,880 Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Treatment Research Program (CFDA 93.395) supports the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington to develop a novel cancer immunotherapy approach using engineered CD4+ T cells. The research aims to overcome treatment resistance in solid tumors, such as melanoma, by leveraging CD4+ T cells to activate other immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. The researchers plan to isolate and expand tumor-specific...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $417,984 to the Scripps Research Institute to conduct research focused on identifying novel small molecule compounds that can selectively induce the differentiation of functional regulatory T cells (Tregs). The goal is to develop new therapeutic approaches for modulating Treg numbers and function to treat autoimmune...
This Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) supports the development of a novel CD4 TCR-engineered T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The total funding amount is $1,001,029 for the period from September 20, 2024 to August 31, 2026. The key products or services to be delivered under this award include: 1) Generation of a GMP-grade master cell bank and viral particles for the IMT-422 (CD4...
This $169,500 federal Project Grant award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) (CFDA 93.350) aims to comprehensively identify metabolic enzymes that control the generation of TCF1+ progenitor CD8+ T cells, which are critical for effective anti-tumor immune responses. The key products and services to be delivered under this 2-year award include: 1) Conducting a CRISPR/Cas9 screen to identify metabolic enzymes regulating TCF1+ progenitor cell generation across...
This Project Grant award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), provides $210,867 to Drexel University to develop a cell-based therapy for generating donor-specific immune tolerance in kidney transplant recipients. The key products and services being delivered include: The researchers will engineer potent "tolerogenic dendritic cells" (TolDCs) that can be infused into donor...
This $798,512 federal Project Grant award from the National Cancer Institute (CFDA 93.395 - Cancer Treatment Research) supports the development of an allogeneic gamma/delta "armored split" chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting epithelial ovarian carcinoma. The innovative therapy combines dual-antigen targeting, split costimulatory domains, and an inducible safety switch to enhance anti-tumor efficacy and safety. Key planned activities include in vitro testing of...
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855), awarded a $842,422 Project Grant (R21AI180673) to George Washington University to develop an antigen-specific cell therapy for Myasthenia Gravis (MG) by engineering regulatory T cells (Tregs) with acetylcholine receptor-specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The project aims to optimize the transduction and characterization of these CAR-engineered Tregs in vitro, as well as...
This federal Project Grant award, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310), supports the development and validation of a novel cellular therapy for type 1 diabetes (T1D). The $300,000 grant, awarded on September 6, 2024, aims to engineer regulatory T cells (Tregs) with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) targeting a unique B cell marker, NTPDase3, to enhance antigen-specific suppression of autoreactive T effector cells and...