I am passionate about developing modular, patient-centered CAR-T therapies tailored for immunosenescent patients—a population highly vulnerable to cancer, viral reactivation, and tissue degeneration, yet underserved by current immunotherapy solutions.

My vision is to design adaptive, multi-functional cellular therapies that integrate insights from aging biology, tumor microenvironments, and immune system remodeling. For example, FDA-approved CAR-T therapies, such as Kymriah and Yescarta, have already demonstrated high remission rates in patients aged 65 and older, highlighting the potential of adoptive cell therapy in vulnerable populations. Modular CAR-T designs are being explored in solid tumors to enhance specificity and efficacy, while senolytic uPAR CAR-Ts offer novel strategies for targeting senescent cells in aging immune systems.

Past experiences, from my master’s work in optogenetics (Richter et al 2020) to my mucus secretion project in lung physiology (Frick et al., 2022), shaped my understanding of how local tissue context, microbiota, and cellular dynamics influence immune responses. Insights from studies such as Luu et al., 2021 on microbial metabolites modulating CAR-T responses further inspire my approach to next-generation, patient-centered cellular therapies.

I am particularly excited about applying high-dimensional immunoprofiling, organoid modeling, and modular therapy design to advance pre-clinical research and deepen our understanding of the aging immune system.

Technical Expertise

  • Cell Biology & Immunoengineering: primary immune cell isolation, co-culture assays, THP-1 macrophage polarization, live-cell imaging
  • Flow Cytometry & High-Dimensional Profiling: 10-color multiparametric flow, panel design, gating, cytokine/activation analysis
  • Molecular Biology & Specialized Techniques: qRT-PCR, Western blot, ELISA, immunofluorescence, CRISPR/Cas9, optogenetics (ChR2 in primary cells)
  • Lab Systems & Automation: LIMS implementation, digital SOP creation, GMP/CDMO workflows, Clean Room grade D

Methods I Would Love to Learn

Innovative delivery technologies, such as viral vectors, LNPs, or mechano-/optogenetic regulation

Organoid and co-culture modeling of tumors and immune cells for aging and immunosenescence studies

Advanced CAR-T engineering approaches, including logic-gated and multi-functional designs

Single-cell multi-omics and spatial transcriptomics to dissect complex immune microenvironments

Automated high-throughput immunoassays integrating robotics and AI-driven analysis