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Label-free imaging of CAR T cell metabolism

Award Number: R01CA278051
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2028

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Label-free imaging of CAR T cell metabolism - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT The goal of this proposal is to develop non-invasive single-cell technologies to improve the potency of T cell therapies against cancer. The first 6 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies were recently approved and >800 CAR and T cell therapies are in clinical trials. However, barriers remain in achieving durable remissions (>1 year) for ~50% of patients who receive CAR T cell therapy. Due to the rapid development of these therapies and a great need for process optimization, we focus on improving three translational roadblocks to effective CAR T cell therapy: (1) screening patients whose T cells are unfit for CAR T cell manufacturing, (2) optimizing in vitro CAR T cell production for higher potency, and (3) identifying metabolic features of potent CAR T cells in vivo. CAR T cell therapy could be improved by enriching for naïve and stem cell memory (SCM) T cells in starting materials and final products. Deficiencies in naïve and SCM T cells occurs in ~50% of untreated cancer patients, and manufacturing autologous CAR T cell products from these sources has been unsuccessful. Even if SCM T cells can be isolated, after CAR incorporation, the expansion process typically diminishes potency through T cell exhaustion. After infusion, the presence of memory-like phenotypes in vivo correlate with better responses. To date, there are no robust, non-destructive technologies to monitor CAR T cell manufacturing to optimize production and assess potency in vivo at a single-cell level. These issues limit the impact of CAR T cell therapy. Current approaches to measure T cell function are labor-intensive, destructive, or lack single-cell resolution, which limits the frequency or specificity of these measurements. For CAR T cell therapy to realize its clinical potential, new methods are needed to monitor T cells for optimal potency throughout manufacturing and post- infusion. Changes in cell metabolism provide an attractive yet under-explored assay to track T cell potency. Previous studies, including our own, show that T cells undergo drastic metabolic changes with activation, and that naïve, exhausted, and memory-like T cells have distinct metabolic features. Our preliminary data shows that non-invasive single-cell imaging of the fluorescence intensity and lifetime of NAD(P)H and FAD (optical metabolic imaging, or OMI) can predict CAR T cell manufacturing conditions that produce a more vs. less potent anti-tumor response in vivo. Given these metabolic features of CAR T cell potency, we propose to determine whether label-free OMI of T cell autofluorescence and multivariate models can identify patient T cell fitness, optimal in vitro expansion conditions, and in vivo cell biomarkers of potent and persistent CAR T cell response. Overall, these technologies will streamline processes and interventions for consistently potent T cell therapy and increase our knowledge of CAR T cell metabolism in vitro and in vivo.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $647,057 )
2025	2025	THE MORGRIDGE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH, INC.	330 N ORCHARD ST	MADISON	WI	53715	DANE	USA	Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research	000	3	7/10/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$647,057
														Subtotal = $647,057

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $615,789 )
2024	2024	THE MORGRIDGE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH, INC.	330 N ORCHARD ST	MADISON	WI	53715	DANE	USA	Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research	000	2	7/15/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$615,789
														Subtotal = $615,789

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $662,022 )
2023	2023	THE MORGRIDGE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH, INC.	330 N ORCHARD ST	MADISON	WI	53715	DANE	USA	Cancer Detection and Diagnosis Research	000	1	7/28/2023	NEW	$662,022
														Subtotal = $662,022

Grand Total All Awards = $1,924,868

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Label-free imaging of CAR T cell metabolism

Award Number: R01CA278051

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/01/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2028

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