Our goal is to develop new cures for cancer patients by engineering immune cells to recognize and kill tumor cells.

We now know the immune system is a powerful tool in the fight against cancer. Immunotherapies come in a variety of forms. T cells are a major mediator of the anti-tumor immune response. In recent years, harnessing the potential of T cells has led to major breakthroughs in cancer therapy.


About CAR T Cells

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a treatment in which T cells are instructed to recognize and kill tumor cells through a specialized synthetic receptor (a CAR). CAR T cells have dramatically improved the survival of relapsed/refractory leukemia patients.  Many patients with terminal leukemia who would have died of disease have experienced remarkable complete and durable remissions, often after just one dose of modified T cells.

Watch how CAR T cells work »

CAR T Cells for Pancreatic Cancer

We are working to extend this technology to a wider range of cancers.  Our lab focuses on designing and cloning novel CARs, introducing them into T cells, and testing their efficacy against various solid tumors. We are currently working on CAR T cells for the most common cancers – breast, prostate, and lung – as well as for pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma.

Explore our pancreatic cancer work »

CAR Macrophages

Macrophages can be engineered with a CAR to improve targeted phagocytosis of cancer cells, or any other unwanted material in the body. We are currently working to develop new forms of CAR-Ms for cancer and other diseases.

Explore our CAR-M work »


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