Network Purpose
The Cancer Adoptive Cellular Therapy (Can-ACT) Network consists of multiple milestone-driven UG3/UH3 grants (RFA-CA-22-028; RFA-CA-22-029; RFA-CA-24-021) and a U24 Coordinating Center (RFA-CA-22-030). The network is intended to foster innovation and promote early-stage clinical testing of novel state-of-the-art cell-based immunotherapies for solid tumors in adult and pediatric patients, and leverage NCI resources to support the cell therapy community.
Network Goals
- Develop and enhance immune cellular products modified genetically or through other manipulations for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients with solid tumors
- Support early phase clinical trials
- Explore imaging and biomarker development
- Expand our understanding of the mechanism of action as well as natural and acquired resistance
Network Structure
UG3 phase
- Supports preclinical, translational, and IND-enabling studies that lay the groundwork for the UH3 early-stage clinical trials testing adoptive immune cell therapies.
UH3 phase
- Multi-center trials can leverage the Immune Cell Network Core, a set of NCI contract resources at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR). The Core comprises cGMP manufacturing, clinical trials coordination support, quality systems, and regulatory affairs guidance.
U24 Coordinating Center
- Organizes, leads, and administers a Steering Committee to ensure that the network achieves its goals.
- Facilitates network activities to achieve multi-site clinical trial coordination and data collection, harmonization, quality, and sharing.
Supplements
NCI supports the network with grant supplement awards to empower collaboration between Investigators.
A new pediatric clinical trial site at Baylor College of Medicine received a two-year administrative supplement (P50CA126752) to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04715191) of GPC3 CAR T-cell therapy for pediatric solid tumors (2025–2026).
Additional administrative supplements were awarded to members of the Can-ACT Network to support:
- FPG PET/CT studies for live imaging and tracking of cellular therapies in patients
- Collaborative preclinical studies evaluating apoptosis priming to enhance the efficacy of cell therapies
- The development of novel in vivo-engineered CAR T-cell therapies
Funded Projects
| Institution | Principal Investigator (s) | Title | Grant Number | Clinical Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Maus, Marcela Valderrama | CAR T cells targeting mesothelin and secreting bispecific antibodies targeting fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer | UG3CA283619 | IND application submitted |
| University of Pennsylvania | Carreno, Beatriz M (contact); June, Carl H; Linette, Gerald P | Next generation T cell therapies for mutant KRAS solid tumors | UG3CA283652 | NCT07594067 |
| University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | Yee, Cassian (contact); Morelli, Maria Pia; Rai, Kunal | HORMAD-specific TGF-beta resistant memory T cells for treatment of patients with Gastro-esophageal Cancer | UG3CA283615 | |
| Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research | Adusumilli, Prasad S | CD28-KITv CAR T cells with PD-1 dominant negative receptor | UG3CA290241 | |
| University of Pennsylvania | Powell, Daniel J (contact); Farwell, Michael David | Dual-targeted DOTA CAR T cells with image-guided monitoring for solid tumor treatment | UG3CA290451 | |
| Stanford University | Mackall, Crystal (contact) and Feldman Steven | Next Generation GPC2-CARs for Medulloblastoma | UG3CA297747 | |
| Mayo Clinic Rochester | Geyer, Susan Michelle (contact); Asmann, Yan W | Cancer Adoptive Cell Therapy (Can-ACT) Network Coordinating Center at Mayo Clinic | U24CA283479 |
*Learn more about the cell-based immunotherapy production facility at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR).
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