2026 Suddath Award Winner Presentation
"Noninvasive Monitoring of Antitumor Activity of T Cells: Synergy of Cell Engineering, Nanosensors, and Imaging" - Myeongsoo Kim, Georgia Tech
This presentation will be followed by the 2026 Suddath Symposium - “Biomedical Applications of Synthetic Biology” - starting at 1 p.m.
2026 Suddath Award Winner
Myeongsoo Kim
Ph.D. Candidate - Stanislav Emelianov, Advisor
ABSTRACT
Adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) is a promising cancer treatment that harnesses a patient’s own T lymphocytes to enhance antitumor immunity. However, assessing therapeutic responses in solid tumors remains challenging due to the lack of robust, noninvasive tools to monitor T cell activity with anatomical context. Here, we present an integrated strategy for noninvasive, longitudinal monitoring of antitumor T cell activity following ACT using plasmonic nanosensors combined with ultrasound-guided photoacoustic (US/PA) imaging. This platform enables evaluation of both (1) T cell trafficking and infiltration into tumors and (2) T cell-mediated cytotoxic activity against tumor cells. First, to monitor chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell trafficking and infiltration in heterogeneous solid tumors, we developed plasmonic gold nanoassemblies with strong photoacoustic responses in the near-infrared (NIR) window and photostability. These nanoassemblies were conjugated to CAR T cell membranes without altering key cellular functions, enabling longitudinal PA imaging of CAR T cell accumulation in breast tumors with heterogeneous antigen expression. Imaging revealed a correlation between CAR T cell trafficking/infiltration and tumor burden changes. Second, to noninvasively assess cytotoxic T cell activity in tumors, we designed protease-activated plasmonic nanosensors that selectively detect granzyme B (GzmB), a key effector protease released by activated T cells. Upon exposure to GzmB, nanosensor aggregation is induced with interparticle plasmon coupling, leading to enhanced NIR light absorption and amplified PA signals. In murine ACT models, systemic nanosensor administration enabled detection of tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic T cell activity, producing elevated PA signals in antigen-positive tumors compared to antigen-negative controls before measurable differences in tumor volume. Overall, this plasmonic nanosensor-based US/PA imaging platform provides a real-time approach to monitor and potentially predict therapeutic outcomes in cancer immunotherapy.
The F. L. "Bud" Suddath and Frances "Lee" Gafford Suddath Fellowship Award was established by the family, friends, and colleagues of Bud Suddath to stimulate graduate research in the fields of biology, biochemistry, and biomedical engineering. The award is given annually to a doctoral student from Georgia Tech who has demonstrated significant research achievement.
