Reimagining T Cell Therapy: An Unconventional Path to Universal CAR-T Cells

Sanford Stem Cell Institute Seminar Series

An episode of the Stem Cell Channel (Video) podcast, hosted by UCTV: UC San Diego, titled "Reimagining T Cell Therapy: An Unconventional Path to Universal CAR-T Cells" was published on March 24, 2026 and runs 59 minutes.

March 24, 2026 ·59m · Stem Cell Channel (Video)

Summary

Off-the-shelf immune cell therapies using engineered T cells represent an important direction in cancer treatment. Lili Yang, Ph.D., at UCLA develops an off-the-shelf platform based on invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells generated from hematopoietic stem cells, often sourced from cord blood. Yang programs these stem cells with iNKT cell receptors, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), and genes such as IL-15 to create pure, expandable iNKT products that recognize lipid antigens presented by non polymorphic CD1d molecules. These cells combine multiple killing mechanisms, infiltrate tissues, target tumor cells and immunosuppressive myeloid cells, and show reduced risk of graft versus host disease and cytokine release syndrome in preclinical models. Yang’s group tests this strategy in models of blood cancers and solid tumors, aiming to generate many therapeutic doses from a single donor. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40846]

Episode Description