Post-transcriptional control of metabolic programs that improve T cell responses against tumors (C02)

• Subject Area: Immunology
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 452881907

This project aims to improve tumor-specific CD8⁺ T cell therapies by transiently modulating the RNA-binding protein Roquin. Roquin, through its interaction with Regnase-1, controls T cell activation and exhaustion. While genetic inactivation enhances tumor responses, it also causes autoimmunity. To avoid this, team C02 will design de novo protein binders that disrupt Roquin’s interaction with Regnase-1 or RNA. These will be transiently expressed in engineered tumorantigen-specific T cells to test their impact on tumor control. The study compares different expression modes and analyzes effects in vivo, aiming to boost T cell function with reduced immune toxicity.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 338: LETSIMMUN - Lymphocyte Engineering for Therapeutic Synthetic Immunity
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität München
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Vigo Heissmeyer; Dr. Lukas Milles, since 1/2026