# Genetically Modified NKT Cells to Target Viral Reservoirs

> **NIH NIH R21** · TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA · 2020 · $170,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
HIV persistence despite long-term administration of potent viral-suppressive antiretroviral therapy (ART)
remains a major impediment to HIV eradication and cure. Immunotherapeutic tools such as genetically
modified T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) offer a new and potentially promising in vivo approach
to specifically target and kill HIV-infected cells. The goal of this proposal is to genetically engineer anti-HIV
CARs to invariant natural killer T (NKT) cells, with the aim of harnessing the immunotherapeutic potential of
this unique innate T cell subset to target HIV-infected cells at tissue reservoir sites. Our specific aims are:
SA#1. To evaluate in vitro expansion, signaling, and CTL activity of macaque NKT cells when transduced with
CD4-CAR vectors containing Tc-specific intracellular signaling domains (NKT-CAR); and SA#2. To evaluate in
vivo biodistribution, and persistence of adoptively transferred anti-HIV NKT-CARs and control Tc-CARs in
macaques before and after SHIV infection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9908047
- **Project number:** 5R21AI145642-02
- **Recipient organization:** TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen Edward Braun
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $170,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-08 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9908047

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9908047, Genetically Modified NKT Cells to Target Viral Reservoirs (5R21AI145642-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9908047. Licensed CC0.

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