Identifying and overcoming CAR T cell barriers in the colorectal carcinoma microenvironment (P18)

• Subject Area: Immunology ; Gastroenterology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540805631

P18 pursues organoid-based systems for the generation and assessment of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified T cells that could be used for CRC therapy. The complementary expertise of the two PIs in innovative technologies (CAR-T cells combined with T-lymphocyte specific vector technology and organoid co-culture assays,) will be instrumental to identify barriers in the TME preventing CAR T cell activity. This project may allow the conversion of inactive TILs into human CAR-T cells in vivo, which could ultimately lead to the implementation of this technology for the treatment of solid tumors in general.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 417: Cellular Communication in the Stroma of Colorectal Cancer: From Pathophysiology to Clinical Translation
• Applicant Institution: Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Christian Buchholz; Professor Dr. Henner Farin