Home Department: Bioengineering
Mentor: Jennifer Cochran (Bioengineering)

“Combining Protein and Cell Engineering to Create a Novel Cancer Immunotherapy"

Approximately 40% of Americans are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. While immunotherapies have improved cancer survival rates, treatment remains imperfect: cancer was the 2nd leading cause of death in the United States in 2024. Therapeutics that engage distinct arms of the immune system (adaptive and innate) have shown promise in difficult-to-treat cancers. Kasey’s project will focus on developing and characterizing a novel antibody that blocks a native innate immune binding interaction implicated in cancer. The antibody will be tested for its compatibility and synergy with other immunotherapies such as CAR T-cells, as well as other known antibodies.