The Convergent Science Cancer Consortium for Immune Cell Engineering is advancing next-generation CAR T cell therapy approaches for solid tumors and blood cancers.
Our Commitment
The Convergent Science Cancer Consortium for Immune Cell Engineering, which is funded by the Department of Defense office of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), is dedicated to transforming CAR T cell therapy to overcome its current limitations and expand its reach beyond B-cell malignancies and multiple myeloma.
Our aim is to pioneer next-generation, effective and accessible CAR T therapies for solid tumors and complex blood cancers through a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. By uniting leading experts from oncology, immunology, molecular biology, cell therapy, bioengineering, biostatistics and military health, we aim to address critical challenges such as the high cost of autologous therapies, lack of targetable antigens, barriers to tumor infiltration and hostile tumor microenvironments. Learn more about the consortium's research
Together, we are committed to innovating platform technologies and translating them into transformative treatments that improve survival, accessibility and mission readiness for all, including military personnel and underserved cancer populations.
Consortium Leadership
Consortium Director
Division Head of Cancer Medicine, MD Anderson
Professor and Chair of Lymphoma/Myeloma, MD Anderson
Dr. Flowers is a successful clinician-investigator with proven experience in transdisciplinary and multi-institutional convergent team science research, leadership, patient care, clinical research, informatics, patient advocacy, and mentorship of young investigators. His experience in transdisciplinary and multi-institutional team science projects that are ongoing include serving as the founding PI of an NIH-funded U01 Lymphoma Epidemiology Outcomes Study since 2015, PI of an NIH-funded P01 grant focused on epigenetics, and PI of a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) funded Clinical Trials Network.
Project 1 Leader
Professor of Lymphoma/Myeloma, MD Anderson
Dr. Neelapu is a medical oncologist and physician-scientist with expertise in clinical and translational research, novel CAR T cell therapy development, lymphoid malignancies, leadership, patient care, research administration and patient advocacy. He led the pivotal trial that resulted in the FDA approval of the first CAR T cell therapy product for lymphoma. He has a track record of obtaining intra- and extramural funding, promoting internal and external collaborations, and education and training of young investigators. His laboratory research has been continuously funded by peer-reviewed grants from the NIH, CPRIT, Department of Defense, and/or other agencies since 2006. He has been the Co-Director of the LLS Society-funded Specialized Center of Research in Myeloma from 2017-2023 and PI of a currently active CPRIT Multi-Investigator Multi-Institutional Transdisciplinary Research Award.
Project 2 Leader
Professor of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, MD Anderson
Dr. Casellas is a molecular biologist with expertise in B cell biology and generation of heavy chain only antibodies or nanobodies. His laboratory at the NIH (2004-2022, fully funded intramurally) made several seminal discoveries, including why B lymphocytes are the most prone to transformation of all hematopoietic cells. In addition, Dr. Casellas was the head of the NIH Regulome Project, a collaborative program between intramural and extramural investigators that sought to elucidate mechanisms of gene expression in normal and tumor cells. In 12 years, this program produced 21 publications in Cell, Nature and Science. His lab also developed mouse models to produce therapeutic antibodies, including the engineering of a line that generates camelid nanobodies. They used those mice to isolate highly neutralizing nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2 and HIV-1. Since moving to MD Anderson in July 2022, Dr. Casellas established the MD Anderson Nanobody Center to develop therapeutic tools against tumor antigens to translate them to the clinic.
Project 3 Leader
Professor, Cullen College of Engineering at the University of Houston
Dr. Varadarajan is a chemist and a biomolecular engineer with a track record of developing innovative molecular and cellular technologies for cancer immunotherapy and vaccines. His research has been continuously funded by peer-reviewed grants from the NIH, CPRIT, Department of Defense, Melanoma Research Alliance, and he has been a part of CPRIT MultiInvestigator Research Award identifying biomarkers of CAR T cells for high-risk pediatric liver cancers. He is the PI of a current convergent R01 (Multiscale Intelligent Convergence, Music) collaborating with Drs. Neelapu and Roysam to develop a technology for dynamic multi-omic single-cell profiling. He is a co-founder of two companies and a senior member of the National Academy of Inventors.
Project 4 Leader
Assistant Professor, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Dr. Jallouk is a physician-scientist with a particular interest in translational research involving engineered cell therapies. The overarching goal of his laboratory is to understand the mechanisms underlying efficacy and toxicity of these treatments and develop novel immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. His laboratory is currently studying the metabolic determinants of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell efficacy and investigating metabolic engineering strategies to improve CAR T cell function in the tumor microenvironment. Additionally, he is the principal investigator on several clinical trials pertaining to CAR T cell therapy and maintains an active clinic with a focus on lymphoid malignancies.