Lea Weiss

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) present obligatory signals to activate T-cells and are used to expand T-cells for adoptive cancer therapy. However, APC culture is laborious, costly and leads to variable batch-to-batch outcomes. Alternatively, artificial APCs (aAPCs) can be used to deliver activating cues in an efficient and well-defined manner. This project aims to develop aAPCs for the antigen-specific stimulation of T-cells. The aAPCs are based on filamentous polymers to which activating cues are conjugated through bio-orthogonal click chemistry. Given their biocompatibility and versatility, these immunofilaments hold promise as an off-the-shelf treatment that can induce a strong T-cell response.