"The Sontag Foundation supports investigators from vastly different fields to tackle brain tumors. Being a DSA awardee and part of this community is a fantastic opportunity to exchange our findings and perspectives on brain tumors. The novel T cell therapy in my Sontag project has the potential of treating nearly all brain tumors and preventing relapse. I believe this goal can be faster and better achieved by working collaboratively within the Sontag community."

About DSA-Funded Research

Brain tumors exhibit remarkable phenotypic diversity and antigenic heterogeneity, with a high likelihood of therapy resistance. There is currently no known cure for malignant brain tumors, and these tumors remain in dire need of innovative therapy. Engineered T cell therapy directed against a specific target on tumor cells has emerged as an exciting opportunity for treating brain tumors. However, many single-target directed T cell therapies have failed owing to the tumor heterogeneity and subsequent tumor escape. To ensure robust tumor recognition and minimize the impact of tumor heterogeneity, we engineer T cells in a way that they can simultaneously detect and target multiple genetic and non-genetic features that are highly conserved in brain tumors while preventing on-target and off-tumor toxicity. This novel engineered T cell therapy potentially benefits all patients suffering from primary or relapsed brain tumors.