Generation and Expansion of MART-1 Antigen-Specific T Cells for Immunological Assays
School Name
South Carolina Governor's School for Science and Mathematics
Grade Level
12th Grade
Presentation Topic
Cell and Molecular Biology
Presentation Type
Mentored
Abstract
This research aimed to investigate whether T cells could be engineered to recognize and eliminate cancer cells expressing the MART-1 antigen, commonly found on melanoma cells. The goal was to inform strategies for improving cancer immunotherapies by generating and expanding antigen-specific T cells in vitro. Donor T cells were thawed and transfected with MART-1 RNA to induce expression of the antigen-specific receptor. Post-transfection, Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) confirmed receptor expression, and the cytotoxic activity of modified T cells was evaluated using the Incucyte live-cell imaging system. Transfection efficiency varied between batches, with 7.4% in one and 36.8% in another, resulting in limited cancer cell killing. Factors contributing to these results may include low RNA quality, poor post-thaw cell recovery, or variability in the initial donor cells. Although the experiment did not achieve full cytotoxic functionality, it highlighted key technical challenges and provided insights for optimizing T cell engineering protocols. These findings contribute to understanding how to generate and expand functional, antigen-specific T cells for potential therapeutic applications in cancer immunotherapy.
Recommended Citation
Garapati, Snikitha, "Generation and Expansion of MART-1 Antigen-Specific T Cells for Immunological Assays" (2026). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 38.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2026/all/38
Location
Furman Hall 106
Start Date
3-28-2026 11:45 AM
Presentation Format
Oral Only
Group Project
No
Generation and Expansion of MART-1 Antigen-Specific T Cells for Immunological Assays
Furman Hall 106
This research aimed to investigate whether T cells could be engineered to recognize and eliminate cancer cells expressing the MART-1 antigen, commonly found on melanoma cells. The goal was to inform strategies for improving cancer immunotherapies by generating and expanding antigen-specific T cells in vitro. Donor T cells were thawed and transfected with MART-1 RNA to induce expression of the antigen-specific receptor. Post-transfection, Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) confirmed receptor expression, and the cytotoxic activity of modified T cells was evaluated using the Incucyte live-cell imaging system. Transfection efficiency varied between batches, with 7.4% in one and 36.8% in another, resulting in limited cancer cell killing. Factors contributing to these results may include low RNA quality, poor post-thaw cell recovery, or variability in the initial donor cells. Although the experiment did not achieve full cytotoxic functionality, it highlighted key technical challenges and provided insights for optimizing T cell engineering protocols. These findings contribute to understanding how to generate and expand functional, antigen-specific T cells for potential therapeutic applications in cancer immunotherapy.
