Caleb Perez (BIRNBAUM LAB)

Leveraging CAR Libraries and Single-cell Omics to Deeply Characterize CAR Signaling Space

CAR T therapy has demonstrated remarkable clinical promise but remains limited in safety and efficacy. Although the signaling components of CARs have been implicated in the potency of CAR therapies, the mechanisms that govern such phenotypic outcomes are poorly understood. Here we develop a scRNA-seq platform to rapidly characterize libraries of CAR signals, which we use to define CAR signaling landscapes in various tumor contexts. With this data, we aim to identify transcriptional mechanisms that could inform the rational design of new CARs.

Erin Tevonian (LAUFFENBURGER & GRIFFITH LABS)

Engineering a Physiologically Relevant Vascularized Model of Hepatic Insulin Resistance

Hepatic insulin resistance, characterized by impaired signaling and dysregulated metabolic regulation in the liver, is hallmark of metabolic disorders yet remains incompletely understood. Current in vitro models are limited in their ability to recapitulate the complexity of this liver disease state. Here, we develop a more physiologically relevant model by integrating multicellular hepatic spheroids with microvascular networks to investigate the effect of modulating insulin and nutrient exposure on insulin resistance establishment.