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Client News: First In-Human Clinical Trial Targeting CD4 Protein for Aggressive T-cell Leukemia and Lymphoma to be Launched

Stony Brook University, iCell Gene Therapeutics and University of Louisville collaborate to offer a new CAR T immunotherapy to treat patients.

Stony Brook University, iCell Gene Therapeutics, and the University of Louisville, have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for an Investigational New Drug (IND) for the treatment of relapsed and refractory T-cell leukemia and lymphoma. The approach is the first to use chimeric antigen receptor engineered T-cells directed against the target protein CD4 (CD4CAR). Together, Stony Brook University, the University of Louisville, and iCell Gene Therapeutics expect the first in-human Phase I clinical trial to begin accruing patients before the end of 2018.

“We are excited to partner with the University of Louisville and iCell Gene Therapeutics to offer this innovative first-in-human CAR T cell immunotherapy clinical trial for patients who are suffering from these extremely difficult to treat T cell lymphomas and leukemias,” said Huda Salman, MD, Principal Investigator for the IND and an oncologist at Stony Brook University Cancer Center. “CD4CAR T cells may prove to be a promising and novel therapy in this setting.”

“The development of this trial using CD4 as a target is the first of what we expect to be many CAR T-based clinical trials available to our patients over time,” said Yusuf Hannun, MD, Director of the Stony Brook University Cancer Center. “The pending trial is an example of the type of bench-to-bedside research that is building up at Stony Brook due to the growing expertise and collaborative research environment we are creating and new opportunities that will emerge upon the opening of our Medical and Research Translation (MART) Building.”

William Tse, MD, FACP, Chief of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, is the Co-PI of the CD4CAR clinical trial at University of Louisville site.

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Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

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Led by experts from BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting, join our live Virtual Classroom for an interactive, 2 day SBIR/STTR workshop. We’ll review the basics including program purpose; eligibility; and sources of funding. Then we’ll provide proposal prep essentials of the NIH, NSF and DOE programs. In addition to up-to-date information on the SBIR/STTR programs, we will cover:

- NIH and NSF grant mechanisms and where to find them

- How to find the program officers, how to approach them, what questions to ask

- How to do research using the web tools available (eReporter, SBIR.gov, etc.)

- Common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and much more.

Workshop registration fee: $25.00. Please register online: https://cfbsbirtrain2021a.eventbrite.com. 

*Stony Brook University Faculty/Staff/Students may attend workshop at no cost – please contact Kate Hutchinson (kate.hutchinson@stonybrook.edu)  for details. 

Workshop is produced by the Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University and in partnership with Columbia Technology Ventures. The Center for Biotechnology also offers a follow on One-on-One Proposal Counseling program via a competitive application process. Learn more here: https://centerforbiotechnology.org/resources/programs/ 

[post_title] => Virtual SBIR/STTR Intensive Workshop - June 15 &16, 2021 [post_excerpt] => The Center for Biotechnology & Columbia Tech Ventures present a 2-day intensive SBIR/STTR workshop. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => virtual-sbir-sttr-intensive-workshop-june-15-16-2021 [to_ping] => [pinged] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/resources/programs/ [post_modified] => 2021-09-20 16:05:00 [post_modified_gmt] => 2021-09-20 16:05:00 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3783 [menu_order] => 45 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [2] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1304 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2014-08-01 15:34:45 [post_date_gmt] => 2014-08-01 15:34:45 [post_content] => Traverse Biosciences announced today that it has received a $223,979 Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award in partnership with the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, part of the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the company's lead drug candidate, TRB-N0224, for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). The research at the Feinstein Institute will be led by Daniel A. Grande, PhD, Director, Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, who will serve as principle investigator on the award in close collaboration with Traverse Biosciences. Read the full press release: http://www.traversebiosciences.com/pr140728phisttroa.html [post_title] => Traverse Biosciences Receives Phase 1 STTR Award [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => traverse-biosciences-receives-phase-1-sttr-award [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2015-01-28 16:59:03 [post_modified_gmt] => 2015-01-28 16:59:03 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://centerforbiotechnology.org/new/?p=1304 [menu_order] => 220 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [3] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 3660 [post_author] => 3 [post_date] => 2021-03-22 15:00:43 [post_date_gmt] => 2021-03-22 15:00:43 [post_content] =>

innovosource is partnering with Philips Image Guided Therapy Devices to identify partnership opportunities related to three specific technical challenges.

The goal is to connect motivated, industry partners with existing partnership nodes at research institutions to engage and initiate long-lasting relationships. Positive outcomes could result in company-funded POC projects, licensing, startup investment, and/or research partnerships.

This process is open and free to participate to all research institution partnership nodes (tech commercialization, gap funds/accelerators, corporate relations, research centers, faculty).

Learn more here: https://innovosource.lpages.co/bridge/

[post_title] => BRIDGE: University-Industry Proof of Concept Program [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => bridge-university-industry-proof-of-concept-program [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2021-03-22 15:01:13 [post_modified_gmt] => 2021-03-22 15:01:13 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://centerforbiotechnology.org/?p=3660 [menu_order] => 52 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 4 [current_post] => -1 [before_loop] => 1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 5065 [post_author] => 4 [post_date] => 2026-09-01 14:03:32 [post_date_gmt] => 2026-09-01 18:03:32 [post_content] =>

Applications are now open for the 12th BioREACH Award Program from the Center for Biotechnology, which provides $50,000 in translational research funding for Stony Brook faculty and postdoctoral researchers to generate the evidence needed to advance promising innovations to the next stage of development.

BioREACH funds milestone-driven studies and welcomes biomedical innovations as well as platforms, tools, computational technologies, and other enabling technologies with the potential to contribute to solutions addressing unmet needs in health.

Application deadline: October 29, 2026, 5:00pm ET

For info sessions, eligibility and deadlines visit our REACH Website and FAQ.

The Center for Biotechnology (CfB) has helped advance some of Stony Brook University’s most impactful biomedical innovations, among them the yeast two-hybrid system, Xiaflex®, ReoPro®, Oracea®, and 3D virtual colonoscopy. The CfB has supported more than 475 faculty-led translational research projects and contributed to 306 license agreements generating $51 million in royalty returns to the University.

Questions? Reach out to our program contacts or sign up for office hours:

Dee Dao, PhD, Associate Director, dee.dao@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 2–3:30 PM | Sign up Here

Zelda Mendelowitz, PhD, Venture Associate, zelda.mendelowitz@stonybrook.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 8–11 AM | Sign up Here

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BioREACH: Translational Research Funding Opportunity

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Traverse Biosciences Receives Phase 1 STTR Award

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