Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Cancer Institute awarded Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research a $452,540 Project Grant under the Cancer Biology Research program (CFDA 93.396) for the period of May 1, 2026 through April 30, 2028. This award supports fundamental research investigating the innate and adaptive determinants of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) following chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. The research aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying CRS—a severe inflammatory response occurring in approximately 93% of CAR T-cell therapy recipients—by examining the critical differences between CAR-engineered T cells and natural killer (NK) cells that account for differential CRS induction. The project will identify reliable predictive markers and molecular pathways to improve patient safety and reduce the healthcare burden associated with costly antibody therapeutics and intensive clinical monitoring.

The research deliverables include mechanistic characterization of effector cell-intrinsic factors and environmental conditions that trigger CRS, comparative analysis of CAR T-cell versus NK-cell-mediated immune responses, and identification of biomarkers predictive of CRS occurrence and severity. By advancing understanding of CRS pathophysiology, this research is expected to inform development of prevention and mitigation strategies that would enhance the safety profile of CAR T-cell therapies for treating hematologic malignancies and improve patient outcomes in this increasingly important treatment modality.