# Transplant and Cellular Therapy

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA · 2024 · $34,636

## Abstract

Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program Summary
The central scientific theme of the TCT Program is that immune cells and hematopoietic stem cells can be
engineered to overcome the principal obstacles that limit the success of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell
transplantation (alloHSCT)—graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), prolonged immune incompetence,
conditioning toxicities, and relapse—and of immune effector cell therapies—on-target/off-tumor tissue injury,
cytokine release syndrome, and immune cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome—as well as logistical barriers
and cost. Cell therapies are also more exportable than alloHSCT, helping to meet the Cancer Center’s goal of
broadening access to novel cancer therapies in Greater Minnesota (outside of the Twin Cities).
The Program has 4 Aims to address this overarching theme: 1) Identify safer alternatives to αβT-cell immune
effector cells as “off-the-shelf” allogeneic immunotherapies, including the development of chimeric antigen
receptors with greater specificity in order to maximize tumor kill and reduce on-target/off-tumor side effects; 2)
Introduce novel engineering approaches to extend persistence and control proliferation of engineered IECs in
vivo and establish large-scale manufacturing methods for producing hundreds of doses of a well-defined,
quality-controlled, off-the-shelf product; 3) Explore nonchemotherapy approaches for lymphodepletion that are
nontoxic (eg, no myelosuppression) and safer; and 4) Develop novel pharmacologic and cellular interventions
to prevent acute and chronic GVHD and eliminate the prolonged immune incompetence commonly observed
after alloHSCT.
TCT is co-led by John E. Wagner, MD, an experienced clinical and translational investigator in the field of
HSCT and cellular therapeutics, and Brian C. Betts, MD, a physician-scientist with expertise in signal
transduction, immune tolerance, and cell therapy.
TCT has 34 members, representing 9 departments and 5 schools or colleges. For the last budget year, these
members were supported by cancer-relevant research funding of $11.6 million in direct costs, of which $0.8
million came from the NCI. Since 2018, Program members have published 850 papers, 36% of which resulted
from intraprogrammatic collaborations, 22% from interprogrammatic collaborations, and 76% from external
collaborations.
The Masonic Cancer Center supports the Program by providing Shared Resources with state-of-the-art
technologies such as mass spectrometry and flow cytometry, as well as the Clinical Trials Office, which is
critical to the implementation and oversight of numerous complex early-phase clinical trials.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10768150
- **Project number:** 2P30CA077598-26
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
- **Principal Investigator:** John E. Wagner
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $34,636
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1998-06-01 → 2029-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10768150

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10768150, Transplant and Cellular Therapy (2P30CA077598-26). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10768150. Licensed CC0.

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