Objective
CAR T cell therapy constitutes a medical breakthrough and proof-of-concept for genetically engineered cells as therapeutics. But little progress has been made for solid tumors. We will tackle this challenge by building upon powerful experimental and computational methods developed in my ERC Starting & Consolidator grants.
In Aim 1, we make CAR T cells fitter and better able to withstand the hostile microenvironment of solid tumors through AI-guided in vivo screens in immunocompetent mice, based on our newly developed high-content CAR T cell screening and optimization platform (Datlinger 2025 Nature, in press).
In Aim 2, we make CAR T cell killing specific to the tumor microenvironment, including “two-factor authentication” with AI-designed enhancers controlling CAR activity; this addresses the dearth of tumor-specific antigens and dose-limiting on-target, off-tumor toxicity in solid cancers.
In Aim 3, we adapt the most promising discoveries to human CAR T cells and validate in xenograft models, in anticipation of future clinical testing and following the example of our CRISPR-boosted CAR T cells for leukemia, which we are currently preparing for first-in-human clinical trials with our clinical collaborators.
To combine breadth with coherence, we will focus on molecularly defined subgroups of HER2-positive tumors for three of the most common solid cancers (colon, lung, breast).
This project profits from my long-standing expertise in AI-accelerated biomedical discovery. We integrate high-content screening with multimodal language models (Schaefer 2025 Nature Biotechnology, in press) to optimize CAR T cells and employ AI enhancer design to activate target cell killing only inside tumors.
In conclusion, the Solid-CART project tackles a hard challenge of cancer therapy with innovative methods. It is highly timely as commercial investment into cell therapies has collapsed and academic medicine is stepping up to ensure that new cell therapies reach patients.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2025-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1090 Wien
Austria
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