Engaging the endogenous immune system with CAR T cells

Metastatic melanoma is one of the most aggressive, and complex cancers with a 35% 5-year survival rate. Therapies using T cells that are genetically engineered to express tumor-recognizing molecules, known as chimeric antigen receptors (CAR), have shown promise against some blood cancers, but not in solid tumors like melanoma. The proposed study aims to engineer CAR T cells to overcome the suppressive tumor microenvironment and engage other immune cells to mount a more effective therapeutic response. This will be accomplished by creating combination immunotherapies through developing CAR T cells that produce drugs that engage other immune cells and help develop immunological memory to the tumor. The overall goal of our research is to develop optimized immune cell therapies for patients with melanoma by understanding how these treatments interact with the tumor environment and patients’ immune system.