Investigating and advancing the medical applications of synthetic biology
Interview conducted and edited by Jim Cooney
The Wong Lab has built a design-driven research program in synthetic biology to develop innovative technologies for therapeutics and diagnostics that will help combat maladies like autoimmune disease and cancer.
Professor Wilson Wong (Biological Design Center) talked about his research, his unexpected path to becoming a bioengineer, and his love of the Dune novels.
How would you describe your research and the goals of your lab?
My lab develops and applies genetic engineering technologies with the goal of advancing gene and cell therapies. One area of research, for instance, involves the engineering of human immune cells that can treat cancer. More recently, we started researching RNA modification with the goal of treating autoimmune diseases and developing antiviral therapies.
How do you use engineered immune cells to treat cancer?
A major focus of our lab involves a type of immune cell called T cells, and a therapy called CAR T-cell therapy. The idea is that you can actually take T cells from the patient’s blood and engineer them so that they produce this “chimeric antigen receptor” (CAR). This receptor allows the T cell to find and attack cancer cells once it is reintroduced into the patient. The T cells can also multiply, which could potentially be dangerous if it’s not controlled. One innovation our lab is developing involves CAR T cells that can be deactivated by giving the patient a drug. This essentially gives the cells an “off switch” that makes the therapy safer.
Read more at Kilachand Center