Nathan Singh, MD, MS

The Singh Lab is focused on understanding how T cells can be engineered to enhance their function against cancer. T cells that express chimeric antigen receptors, the first-in-class form of synthetically engineered cell therapy, can cure some patients with aggressive and refractory cancers – changing the way we think about cancer therapy. Despite this breakthrough success, it is clear that the first form of this therapy does not reach its reach potential for most patients. Using both classical and novel techniques, we aim to elucidate the molecular circuitry and gene regulatory networks that lead to failure of engineered T cells. Using this knowledge, we use cutting-edge gene and protein engineering methods to control these regulatory circuits, enabling us to derive precise functionality from engineered cells. Our work integrates immunology, molecular engineering, structural biology and genomics to reveal the underlying biology driving these cells and design the next generation of engineered cell therapies.