Kate Amato Foundation Awarded Projects
Protein-Free Drug Inducible Transgene Expression Platform in CAR T Cells
Project Goal: The goal is to combine this smart "dimmer switch" with powerful CAR T cells to create a safer, more effective treatment for children fighting cancer.
Institution: Seattle Children’s Research Institute
Researchers: Che-Hsing Li, PhD
Year Awarded: 2025
Type of Childhood Cancer: Pediatric solid cancers including liver cancer, Wilms tumors, and a type of muscle cancer
Project Description:
Our lab has demonstrated the safety of using a new type of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to fight multiple tough pediatric solid cancers including liver cancer, Wilms tumors, and a type of muscle cancer. We made our CAR T cells even stronger by adding a boost of IL-15, a natural immune signal, to help them last longer and fight harder in patients. While this approach has shown very promising results for children battling these cancers, it sometimes causes severe side effects. To make this life-saving therapy even safer, I’ve developed a clever new system called PAR (Polyadenylation Regulator). Think of PAR as a precise dimmer switch that allows us to control the activity of our CAR T cells using a common, readily available medicine called tetracycline. My proposal aims to use this PAR system to safely fine-tune the levels of IL-15, or other similar boosters, within the CAR T cells. Our ultimate goal is to combine this smart “dimmer switch” with our powerful CAR T cells to create a safer, more effective treatment for children fighting cancer.
