Dissemination and User Engagement: Deployable Biomaterial Scaffolds for Rapid, Single-Day Engineering of Therapeutic T Cells
Year: 2026
Type: other
Abstract: Engineered T-cell therapies, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and T-cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cells, have demonstrated transformative clinical efficacy across multiple cancer types. However, widespread adoption of these therapies remains limited by complex, multi-step manufacturing workflows that require specialized infrastructure, extensive labor, and prolonged processing times. Through our parent IMAT-supported project, we developed MASTER (Multifunctional Alginate Scaffolds for T-cell Engineering and Release), a biomaterial platform that integrates T-cell activation, viral transduction, and expansion within a single macroporous scaffold, enabling rapid generation of engineered T cells through a streamlined manufacturing process. The goal of this administrative supplement is to accelerate dissemination, adoption, and effective use of the MASTER platform by developing standardized toolkits, training resources, and user-guided implementation strategies for the broader scientific community. We will fabricate and distribute standardized MASTER toolkit units containing pre-fabricated scaffolds, annotated protocols, benchmarking metrics, and troubleshooting resources designed to support implementation across diverse laboratory settings. To maximize accessibility, we will develop comprehensive dissemination materials including published visual protocols, detailed methodology resources, and training activities to facilitate adoption by investigators without specialized expertise in biomaterial-enabled cell engineering. To evaluate generalizability and identify barriers to adoption, we will partner with independent end-user groups representing distinct cell therapy applications, including CAR T cells, TCR-engineered T cells, NKT-cell therapies, and canine T-cell engineering. Participating laboratories will independently implement the platform and provide structured feedback regarding usability, reproducibility, protocol clarity, and implementation challenges. Feedback obtained through these activities will be incorporated into iterative refinement of toolkit materials, protocols, and training resources. The proposed work will transform a validated IMAT-supported technology into a broadly deployable research tool that enables rapid engineering of therapeutic lymphocytes across multiple applications. By combining toolkit development, independent user validation, dissemination-focused publications, training activities, and feedback-driven optimization, this supplement will expand access to advanced cell-engineering technologies and accelerate innovation in cancer immunotherapy research.
Source: California Digital Library
DOI: 10.48321/d16fd92103
Author: Yevgeny Brudno
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Topic: CAR-T cell therapy research
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: National Institutes of Health
OpenAlex ID: W7164152695