Si-Sim Kang, MS

Adoptive cell therapy leverages the patient’s own immune cells, called T cells, to target and kill cancer cells. First, T cells are taken from the patient’s blood and enriched in the lab so they can learn to find proteins called antigens on specific cancer cells and kill these cells. The T cells are then reinfused back into the patient. While immunotherapy has been revolutionary for certain cancers, it is expensive and ineffective for some patients. Our research seeks to improve adoptive T cell therapy by focusing specifically on CD4 T cells, usually the “helper” T cells. We will use innovative nanoparticle-based artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) to efficiently increase the amount and effectiveness of rare antigen-specific CD4 T cells produced during adoptive cell therapy. After incubating CD4 T cells with our aAPCs, the CD4 T cells acquired tumor-killing ability and the population of antigen-recognizing CD4 T cells increased from less than 1% to over 30% in some cases. By providing a controllable platform for T cell expansion and activation, our method offers new possibilities for personalized cancer treatments and deeper insights into T cell biology, potentially revolutionizing the field of cancer immunotherapy.

Read more about Si-Sim’s work.