# TOPIC 414 : SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY GENE CIRCUITS FOR CANCER THERAPY

> **NIH NIH N43** · STRAND THERAPEUTICS INC · 2021 · $399,962

## Abstract

B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is the most common hematological malignancy derived from B-cells and expresses high levels of the CD19 antigen. Although past gene therapy efforts that target CD19, such as chimeric antigen T cell receptor (CAR-T) immunotherapy, have demonstrated immense clinical benefit, manufacturing challenges and toxicity have significantly limited its utility. To this end, Strand Therapeutics proposes the development of an universal off-the-shelf CAR-T CD19 circuit small molecule based on its proprietary self-replication mRNA (repRNA) platform. This approach is designed to illicit a targeted CD19 CAR-T response to B cell malignancies in situ with the incorporation of their patented drug delivery system to bypass toxicity. Specifically, to improve outcomes for patients with B cell NHL, Strand Therapeutics will develop a programmable mRNA gene circuit therapy that provides precise control of the dose and timing of the CD19 antigen in B-cell NHL tumors. At study completion, Strand will have validated the sustained and controlled expression and efficacy of the CAR-T CD19 cells in vivo and demonstrated decreased toxicty. These results will support GMP manufacturing and GLP-toxicology studies of the candidate molecule towards the eventual submission of an Investigational New Drug.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10498683
- **Project number:** 75N91021C00027-0-9999-1
- **Recipient organization:** STRAND THERAPEUTICS INC
- **Principal Investigator:** ANNA SIMON
- **Activity code:** N43 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $399,962
- **Award type:** —
- **Project period:** 2021-08-01 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10498683

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10498683, TOPIC 414 : SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY GENE CIRCUITS FOR CANCER THERAPY (75N91021C00027-0-9999-1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10498683. Licensed CC0.

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