Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (aAPC)
Artificial antigen presenting cells (aAPCs) are modular, universal particles that target T cells to improve T cell therapies and study basic T cell immune responses. Our teams have developed aAPC platforms and applications for antigen-specific T cell therapy. Using basic engineering approaches, they are modifiable to enhance cell and organ targeting, and disease treatment. aAPCs can enhance, or even replace, endogenous cells during each step of generating an antigen-specific T cell response – from antigen presentation and T cell activation to T cell maintenance.
Development and Use
Design considerations and progress made in the development of ex vivo and in vivo technologies for activating antigen-specific T cells.
Biomaterials to Enhance Antigen-Specific T Cell Expansion for Cancer Immunotherapy
Enrichment + Expansion strategy to rapidly expand tumor-specific T cells from rare naïve precursors and predicted neo-epitope responses.
Enrichment and Expansion with Nanoscale Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells for Adoptive Immunotherapy
PLGA/PBAE aAPCs as a biocompatible, directly injectable acellular therapy for cancer immunotherapy
Biodegradable Cationic Polymer Blends for Fabrication of Enhanced Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells to Treat Melanoma
Platforms to process and detect CD8+ T cells specific for rare cancer neoantigens, commensal bacterial cross-reactive epitopes, and human viral and melanoma antigens.
Adaptive Nanoparticle Platforms for High Throughput Expansion and Detection of Antigen-Specific T Cells
Biodegradable ellipsoidal naAPCs that mimic the T-Cell/APC interaction better than equivalent spherical naAPCs.
Biodegradable Nanoellipsoidal Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells for Antigen Specific T-cell Activation
A nanoparticle platform for ex vivo CD4+ T cell culture that mimics APCc through display of MHC II molecules.
Nanoparticle-based Modulation of CD4+ T Cell Effector and Helper Functions Enhances Adoptive Immunotherapy
Combination of aAPCs with anti-CD28 costimulatory and human MHC class I molecules loaded with antigenic peptides to rapidly expand tumor antigen-specific T cells.
Rapid Expansion of Highly Functional Antigen-Specific T Cells from Patients with Melanoma by Nanoscale Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells
Non-aAPC Methods for Modulating T Cell Response
A hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel for T-cell activation.
Engineering an Artificial T-Cell Stimulating Matrix for Immunotherapy
A nanoparticle platform that overcomes the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
Dual Targeting Nanoparticle Stimulates the Immune System To Inhibit Tumor Growth
An approach to selectively bind antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells and redirect them to kill tumors.
Antigen-Specific T Cell Redirectors: A Nanoparticle Based Approach for Redirecting T Cells
Advantages and shortcomings of a non-cell-based ‘killer artificial antigen-presenting cell’ strategy to overcome cell-based treatments of T-cell-mediated autoimmunity.
Killer Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells: The Synthetic Embodiment of a ‘Guided Missile’