Award
National Cancer Institute 1P01CA298971-01A1
Research Project 2: Biomaterial-driven CAR T cell generation for treatment of GBM
Recipient
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Award Amount
$370,392.00
Ceiling
$370,392.00
Awarded
March 05, 2026
Identifier
1P01CA298971-01A1
The award funds a research project to develop a novel scaffold technology for generating CAR T cells to treat glioblastoma multiforme, aiming to improve therapy efficacy and reduce costs.
Description
This project proposes the use of a Multifunctional Alginate Scaffold for T cell Engineering and Release (MASTER) to generate and release CAR T cells inside patients, aiming to enhance efficacy, persistence, and reduce production time and costs. The project involves optimizing scaffold size, stiffness, and cell seeding for murine T cell transduction, performing phenotypic and functional characterization of scaffold-generated cells, and testing in vivo generation of B7H3-targeted CAR T cells in a GBM recurrence model. The goal is to establish a platform for CAR T cell manufacturing that could revolutionize GBM treatment, lower costs, and expand patient access.