High throughput genetics to enhance long-term efficacy and function of CAR-T cell therapy in solid cancers

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy involves genetically engineering T cells to express CAR which redirect their specificity to target tumour-expressed antigens. While CAR-T cell therapies have led to remarkable clinical responses in haematological malignancies the response in solid cancers has so far been limited.
The aim of this project is to use high-throughput functional screens to identify genetic means of improving solid cancer CAR-T cell efficacy by (a) preventing CAR-T dysfunction and (b) armouring CAR-T cells to overcome immune suppression within the solid tumour microenvironment.