# CAR mast cell for solid tumor

> **NIH NIH R21** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $241,713

## Abstract

Summary
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies have achieved unprecedented success in treating blood
cancers that are resistant to traditional radiation or chemotherapies. However, the efficacy of CAR-T therapy to
solid tumors remains limited. Major challenges include poor infiltration of T cells into tumors, exhaustion and low
persistence of T cells under a hostile tumor environment. To tackle these problems, we aim to seek alternative
cell carriers for CAR. Mast cells present several advantages in targeting solid tumors: they reside in tumor tissues
and can live up to years. They can repetitively kill target cells without exhaustion. They also release cytokines
that can recruit other effector cells to kill cancer. In this project, we will design CARs that specifically activate
mast cells to kill solid tumors, using melanoma and colon cancer as models. Our efforts are expected to lay the
scientific foundation for a brand-new cell therapy, and provide rationales and generate reagents for moving
towards further pre-clinical and clinical studies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10784052
- **Project number:** 1R21CA286364-01
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Xiaolei Su
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $241,713
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-02-02 → 2026-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10784052

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10784052, CAR mast cell for solid tumor (1R21CA286364-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-29 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10784052. Licensed CC0.

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