Unmet Medical Need: Within recent years, the rate of autoimmune diseases has steadily risen, and the waiting lists for transplantations continue to grow. In fact, one of the major challenges in healthcare today is controlling immune responses in the settings of autoimmunity and transplantation.

Envisioned Healthcare Product: Regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy has proceeded as a promising method to induce immune tolerance and control undesired immune responses. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) tregs, a type of antigen-specific Treg, are superior to polyclonal Tregs, but despite that potential, there are major considerations regarding the plasticity of CAR Tregs and the effect of conditioning regimens on these cells. The team is proposing to improve the efficacy of CAR Treg therapy through implementing strategies aimed at making CAR Tregs resistant to conversion and conditioning toxicity and also enhancing their immunosuppressive capabilities.

Stage of Development: Pre-clinical

Collaborative Research Team: Mohsen Maharlooei, PhD, Megan Sykes, MD

Columbia BiomedX and TRx Funding Cycle: 2020-21