Scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research are continuing to land crucial support for an imaging technology that enhances the effectiveness of an important new class of cancer treatments.
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell therapy — or “CAR T” therapy as its commonly known — trains a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. This personalized form of immunotherapy has been transformational in treating cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia. It’s also being studied for many other uses, including solid tumors and autoimmune disorders.
But it also has a drawback: Only about half of all patients eligible for such therapy have T cells healthy enough to be manufactured into viable cancer-fighting agents, leading to high failure rates.
The Morgridge team, led by biomedical engineer Melissa Skala, has developed a new bioimaging technique that can assess T cell fitness in patients, and identify those patients most likely to have the best outcomes. The team has formed the startup company SeLight, led by Skala Lab scientist Amani Gillette.
Read the full story here: https://morgridge.org/story/cancer-immunotherapy-startup-enters-new-chapter-with-sbir-support/