# Immunomodulatory biomaterial to enhancing T-cell responses to triple negative breast cancer

> **NIH NIH R44** · SYMPHONY BIOSCIENCES, INC. · 2024 · $992,724

## Abstract

Project Summary
Deaths from solid tumors vastly outnumber deaths from hematopoietic cancers. Yet progress in
immunotherapies for solid tumors is well behind those for lymphoma. CAR-T cell therapies and
engineered T cells have become revolutionary approaches for hematopoietic cancers, but their
potential for solid tumors is yet to be realized. Significant challenges hinder the potential of
immune therapies in solid tumors, including insufficient activation and eventual exhaustion of
effector T cells; and suppression of T cell effector responses in the tumor microenvironment. In
this proposal we consider these hurdles and offer a biomaterial solution that overcomes them.
This proposal is significant in facilitating endogenous T cells to fight solid tumors. Surgery is a
major treatment modality for both invasive and in situ tumors, but at this time, there are no specific
immunotherapies initiated at the time of surgery; they all start days to weeks later. Our proposal
is significant for offering a way to start treatments early, right at the time of initial surgery. Here
our synthetic scaffold, SymphNode can be injected at the time of biopsy or surgery not to only
recruit and active tumor-experienced local immune cells but also to suppress the inhibitory cells
created by tumor cells. Our long-term goal is to develop this bioengineered, locally injected,
“synthetic lymph node” into a therapy for human tumors.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11174056
- **Project number:** 4R44CA281563-02
- **Recipient organization:** SYMPHONY BIOSCIENCES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Erfan Dashtimoghadam
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $992,724
- **Award type:** 4N
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11174056

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11174056, Immunomodulatory biomaterial to enhancing T-cell responses to triple negative breast cancer (4R44CA281563-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11174056. Licensed CC0.

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