Congratulations to Samuel Kerr for Receiving the NIH F31 NRSA Fellowship!
Sam Kerr is currently a fourth year PhD graduate student working in the Katz lab at Yale. His study involves exploiting the tumor microenvironment to promote on-target, on-tumor CAR-T cell toxicity: reprogramming CAR-T cells to promote cytotoxicity in the lymphoma microenvironment by using the physical properties of the tumor microenvironment.
Sam is now a recipient of the NIH F31 NRSA fellowship, a highly competitive award that funds novel and innovative studies in the life sciences. This fellowship funds multi-year training and provides an opportunity for trainees to become Principal Investigators (PIs) for this grant.
A quick summary of his grant application project narrative:
“Genetic manipulation of T cells for adoptive cell therapy is a powerful therapy for B cell leukemia; however, the stresses T cells encounter within the solid tumors limit their efficacy for the vast majority of cancer. In this proposal, I will first selectively activate an important leukocyte pathway to promote T cell survival and cytotoxicity in the tumor microenvironment. Then, I will use a post-transcriptional regulation mechanism to specifically control the expression of an effector payload.”
Congratulations Sam!