Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD, and Carl June, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania receive three-year research grant from ACGT.
STAMFORD, Conn., May 19, 2025 — A $500,000 grant from Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) will support scientists from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine who are researching methods to disrupt the tumor microenvironment (TME) in pancreatic cancer to more easily allow CAR T cells into solid tumors.
The ACGT – Edward Netter Memorial Investigator Award in Cell and Gene Therapy Research for Pancreatic Cancer was awarded to Principal Investigator, Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD, the Hanna Wise Professor in Cancer Research and Director of the Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, and co-PI Carl June, MD, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy and Director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies.
Dr. Stanger’s lab has focused specifically on pancreatic cancer biology, tumor immunology and therapy resistance, looking to break down barriers to treatment for what is often one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers in existence, while Dr. June’s lab has been dedicated to developing new forms of T cell based therapies for more than two decades, driving clinical translation of novel and investigational immune-based therapies including the development of the first-ever CAR T-cell therapies that have proven to be curative for certain patients with leukemia and lymphoma.
The ACGT award to Drs. Stanger and June employs a two-pronged approach:
- One arm of the study involves use of a KRAS inhibitor aimed at reshaping the TME to more easily allow T cells to enter the tumor, an approach that has shown promising results in mouse models.
- The other arm uses CAR T cells aimed at a tumor barrier’s fibroblast activation protein (FAP), which could allow T cells to force their way into a tumor and allow for greater anti-cancer activity.
“Collectively, these studies aim to break down the physical and immunological barriers limiting the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy for pancreatic cancer,” Dr. Stanger says. “This project aims to reverse the immunosuppressive microenvironment characteristic of pancreatic cancer and thus inform the feasibility and design of future trials involving KRAS inhibition and/or FAP-CAR T cells as catalysts for more effective cell-based therapies.”
The research project first extends work on KRAS inhibitors and FAP-CAR T cells in animal models to understand how these interventions reshape the tumor microenvironment. The research team will also determine whether combining the two therapies can have additive effects, leading to cures.
The next stage focuses on patients, building on an ongoing clinical trial in pancreatic cancer with CAR T cells against mesothelin. The goal is to determine whether pretreatment with a KRAS inhibitor before CAR T infusion results in a greater number of CAR T cells inside the tumor.
Finally, the project will focus on a clinical trial of FAP-CAR T cells to assess whether these CAR T cells penetrate patient tumors and reshape the tumor micro-environment in a favorable manner.
Collectively, these studies aim to break down the physical and immunological barriers limiting the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy for pancreatic cancer.
Funding from ACGT will help generate the necessary processes, procedures and materials needed to complete studies that involve both animals and human patients.
“Drs. Stanger and June outline a bold vision for reshaping how we maximize the efficacy of T cells in the treatment of pancreatic cancer,” says Kevin Honeycutt, ACGT chief executive officer and president. “Pancreatic cancer is a place of major unmet need in cancer treatment, which means we need to think outside the box for the optimal approaches to deliver treatment in a solid tumor environment. We are excited to support Dr. Stanger and Dr. June in their collaborative research and are optimistic for what it could mean for the future of pancreatic cancer treatment.”
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Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT)
For more than 20 years, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) has funded scientific research to bring innovative treatment options using cancer cell and gene therapy to people living with deadly cancers. These treatments continue to save the lives of many blood cancer patients and offer new hope to all people diagnosed with cancer. ACGT is currently focused on funding talented visionaries whose scientific advancements are driving the development of groundbreaking treatments for solid tumors including those most difficult to treat including brain, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.
100% of all public donations raised by Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy directly support research and programs. For more information, visit acgtfoundation.org, call (203) 358-5055, or join the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy community on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
