Project Title: Building "Off-the Shelf" CAR T-cells
BASIS Advisor: Mr. Davoren
Internship Location: Columbia University (remote)
Onsite Mentor: Dr. Hans-Willem Snoeck
My Posts
Week 7: A “Double Agent”
May 13, 2022
Hello! I’m Sidharth, and this week I’ll discuss the PD-1 Signal Transduction Pathway and the Beta 2 Microglobulin protein and their role in cancer. The Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD-1) Signal Transduction Pathway PD-1 is a double agent: it’s an important immuno-regulatory protein (protecting us from autoimmune diseases), however when cancer attacks our body, it […]
Week 6: Stealing Cancer’s Mighty Shield
May 06, 2022
Hello! This week I’ll be discussing Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) and CD47, cancer’s mighty shield. Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) are blood or skin cells that have been reprogrammed into a pluripotent stem cell state (i.e., they can self-renew and differentiate into any cell of the body). Four protein transcription […]
Week 5: The Alloimmune Defense Receptor System
Apr 29, 2022
Hello! I’m Sidharth, and this week I’ll explain and evaluate a new method of creating “Off-the-Shelf” CAR T-cells that was first proposed two years ago by Dr. Maksim Mamonkin. In July 2020, scientists at Baylor University published an intriguing paper detailing a novel way to create “Off-the-Shelf” CAR T-cells. Can these cells surmount the adversities […]
Week 4: A Deep Dive Into HLA Matching
Apr 22, 2022
Hello! I’m Sidharth, and this week I’ll be discussing HLA matching and analyzing transplant studies in an attempt to prevent “Off-the-Shelf” CAR T-cells from inducing dangerous immune responses. Problem: In order to forge “Off-the-Shelf” CAR T-cells, HLA matching is required to avoid a potentially lethal immune response. Exactly how much HLA matching is needed? Human […]
Video: Killer T Cells In Action
Apr 21, 2022
The immune system is immensly powerful and beautiful. Above is a video of a killer T cell destroying an ovarian cancer cell, captured by a spinning disc confocal microscope. This process takes about an hour, but the video has been sped up. What’s happening? The killer T cell (pictured in purple to the left) attaches […]
Week 3: T Cell Receptors and Invariant Natural Killer T Cells
Apr 15, 2022
Hello! My name is Sidharth, and this week I’ll discuss the role of T cell receptors (TCRs) in the immune system and in “off-the-shelf” CAR T-cells. What are T cell receptors? T cell receptors (TCRs) are protein complexes that are found on the surface of T cells. They recognize antigens (proteins from pathogens) that are […]
Week 2: Human Leukocyte Antigens and iPS Cells
Apr 08, 2022
Hello! My name is Sidharth. This week I’ll be exploring induced pluripotent stem cells and human leukocyte antigens to continue laying the foundations for “off-the-shelf” CAR T-cells. The HLA Bank Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) are one of the keys to unlocking the power of “off-the-shelf” CAR T-cells. As mentioned last week, engineered CAR T-cells must […]
Week 1: A Complex Defense System
Apr 01, 2022
Hello! My name is Sidharth, and this week I’ll be discussing our bodies’ complex defense system against pathogens that “off-the-shelf” CAR T-cells must overcome. How do Major Histocompatibility Complexes work? Major Histocompatibility Complexes (MHC) are crucial to our bodies’ defense system against pathogens. They are protein receptors that appear on the membranes of cells. MHC […]
Week 0: Introduction
Mar 18, 2022
Hello! I’m Sidharth Raghavan, and over the next ten weeks, I will be researching different ways to build “Off-the-Shelf” CAR T-cells. I was first introduced to CAR T-cells during a lecture series at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2020. Learning about the discoveries that paved the way for this groundbreaking treatment inspired me to […]