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SUMMARY:Boosting Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy via a Synthetic 
 Vaccine
DTSTART:20230919T140000
DTEND:20230919T150000
DTSTAMP:20260408T035157Z
UID:1eb91635551b30d620002387a17d31f4430334318ede765127bd44b1
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Prof. Leyuan Ma\, University of Pennsylvania\, Philadelphia\,
  PA (USA)\nBIOENGINEERING SEMINAR\n \nAbstract:\nChimeric Antigen Recepto
 r T cells (CAR T) are effective in hematologic malignancies\, but strategi
 es to augment their therapeutic impact especially in solid tumors are stil
 l needed. Here we demonstrate an approach to enhance CAR T function by vac
 cine-boosting donor cells through their chimeric receptor directly in vivo
 . Amphiphile CAR T ligand vaccine (amph-vax) were designed\, which on inje
 ction trafficked to lymph nodes\, decorated the surfaces of antigen presen
 ting cells\, and primed CAR T cells in the native lymph node microenvironm
 ent. Amph-vax boosting triggered massive CAR T expansion\, increased donor
  cell polyfunctionality\, and enhanced anti-tumor efficacy in multiple imm
 unocompetent tumor models. Unexpectedly\, in vivo vaccine boosting of CAR 
 T cells triggered engagement of the endogenous immune system to circumvent
  antigen-negative tumor escape and more effectively treat established tumo
 rs with pre-existing antigenic heterogeneity. This process was accompanied
  by shifts in CAR T metabolism toward oxidative phosphorylation in CAR T c
 ells and was critically dependent on CAR T-derived IFN-γ. Thus\, vaccine 
 boosting provides a clinically-translatable strategy to enhance CAR T cell
  therapy against solid tumors.\n\nBio:\nPosition:\n\n	Assistant Professor 
 of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine\, Perelman School of Medicine at the 
 University of Pennsylvania\, Philadelphia\, PA (USA)\n\nEducation:\n\n\n	B
 S (Biosciences and Bioengineering)\, Shandong Normal University\, China\, 
 2008\n	PhD (Molecular\, Cell and Cancer Biology)\, University of Massachus
 etts Medical School\, 2016\n	Specialty Certification\n\nPostgraduate Train
 ing:\n\n\n	Postdoctoral Fellow\, Immune Engineering\, Howard Hughes Medica
 l Institute\, Massachusetts Institute of Technology\, 2016-2021\n\nAwards 
 and Honors:\n\n\n	Excellent Student\, Shandong Normal University\, 2005\n	
 First Class Award\, Shandong Normal University\, 2005\n	Outstanding Bachel
 or’s Degree Thesis\, Shandong Province\, 2008\n	Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of
  Research\, 2014\n	Dean’s Award for most insightful mid-thesis research\
 , 2015\n	Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self-Financed Students A
 broad\, 2016\n	Koch Institute Marlena Felter Bradford Research Travel Fell
 owship\, 2019\n	American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellowship Award\, 20
 19\n	NIAID New Innovators Awards/DP2\, 2022-2027\n	Mesothelioma Research G
 rant Award\, 2023\n	The Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation Translational Adult
  Glioma Award\, 2023\n	Melanoma research Alliance Young Investigator Award
 \, 2023\n	Neuroblastoma neoantigen vaccine U01 (co-I)\, 2023\n	W.W. Smith 
 Charitable Trust award\, 2023\n\nMemberships and Professional Organization
 s:\n\n\n	Sigma Xi\, The Scientific Research Society\, 2014 - 2018\n	Biomed
 ical Engineering Society (BMES)\, 2018 - Present\n	American Society of Gen
 e & Cell Therapy\, 2022 - Present\n	American Association for Cancer Resear
 ch\, 2023 - Present\n	Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer\, 2023 - Present
 \n\n\n\nZoom link for attending remotely: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/64497520
 587\n 
LOCATION:SV 1717 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==SV%201717 https://epfl.zoom.u
 s/j/64497520587
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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