Short Description: Developing the next-generation safe CAR-T cells targeting blood cancer and autoimmune diseases with built-in fever sensing circuit for eliminating severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS)-related side effects.
Lessons Learned: Reputational risks and the need to protect IP made re-engineering a failed product unrealistic. 2) Tumor heterogeneity and metastasis challenges made localized temperature regulation impractical, leading us to switch to autonomous temperature sensing. 3) Advances in indication, antigen, and binder discovery have reduced concerns about developing our own product from scratch.
Names and Affiliation of Team members:
Lukasz Bugaj, PhD, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Zikang (Dennis) Huang, Doctoral Student, University of Pennsylvania, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Bioengineering
Saket Ram, Undergraduate Student, University of Pennsylvania, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Bioengineering
