PME Distinguished Colloquium Series - Dr. Yvonne Chen

Engineering Multi-Pronged CAR-T Cell Therapy for Cancer

The adoptive transfer of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has demonstrated robust efficacy in the treatment of advanced hematological malignancies. However, challenges such as antigen escape and immunosuppression limit the long-term efficacy of adoptive T-cell therapy, particularly for solid tumors. Here, I will discuss the development of next-generation T cells that can target multiple cancer antigens, modify the tumor microenvironment, and/or engage endogenous immunity to overcome tumor-defense mechanisms. This presentation will highlight the potential of synthetic biology in generating novel mammalian cell systems with multifunctional outputs for therapeutic applications.