Engineering CAR T-cell therapies to overcome tumor resistance and engage endogenous immune cells
Our research focuses on advancing CAR T-cell therapy by addressing key mechanisms of resistance that limit clinical efficacy in cancer treatment. While CAR T cells have shown remarkable success in targeting tumors via surface antigens in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-independent manner, their effectiveness is often undermined by antigen loss and tumor heterogeneity.
We aim to understand how tumors escape CAR T-cell pressure and to develop next-generation CAR designs that overcome these challenges. A major line of investigation explores how engineered CAR T cells can not only eliminate tumor cells directly but also activate and license the body’s own immune cells for a more comprehensive and durable anti-tumor response.
By designing CAR T cells that trigger endogenous T cell responses against a broader array of tumor antigens, we seek to create synergistic therapeutic effects capable of addressing intra-tumoral heterogeneity. This work integrates synthetic biology, immune cell engineering, and tumor immunology to create innovative strategies for more effective and resilient cancer immunotherapies.
Sustainable and scalable CAR T-cell engineering using nanomaterials
Our research focuses on developing sustainable and scalable approaches to CAR T-cell therapy by harnessing nanomaterials for efficient, nonviral gene delivery. Current CAR T-cell manufacturing depends on viral vectors and ex vivo cell manipulation, which introduces logistical complexity, high costs, and limited accessibility. We aim to replace these traditional methods with nanomaterial-based platforms that support rapid, cost-effective, and clinically translatable T-cell engineering.
By integrating materials science, synthetic biology, and cell engineering, our goal is to redefine the CAR T-cell development pipeline, making it faster, safer, and more broadly applicable for cancer treatment.