FOCUS
Living immunotherapies in the form of synthetically modified immune cells have demonstrated remarkable success against various late-stage and chemotherapy-resistant cancers. However, they are less effective in solid tumors, feasible in only a subset of patients, and expensive. David’s research seeks to improve the safety, function, and manufacturing of these therapies by investigating scalable methods to produce more durable immunotherapy products more robustly from patients. These goals have key implications in advancing therapeutic success and increasing the accessibility of these novel treatments to more patients.
MORE ABOUT DAVID
David’s motivations in educational and health equity are grounded in his experience as a first-generation student raised in an urban setting filled with socioeconomic inequality. Through HPRS, he seeks to learn more about determinants of health across fields, and explore how engineering and technology may be used to lower barriers in health equity and policy.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — FALL 2023
Harnessing Regnase-1 and Roquin-1 activity to modulate T cell function
Advances in genetic engineering and synthetic biology offer new tools and concepts to scalably design T cells with more effective or complex functions. David’s thesis explores the development of more potent, dynamic, and accessible therapeutic T cells using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology and the RNA synthetic biology of immune inflammatory regulators Regnase-1 and Roquin-1. David’s hope is that continual advances in genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and cell biology will improve the therapeutic function, scope, and availability of cell therapies.
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