Engineering human immune organoids to study next-generation Treg transplant therapies

Organ transplant patients need strong, lifelong medications to prevent their immune systems from rejecting the new organ, but these drugs can cause serious health problems. To find safer alternatives, this project aims to develop lab-grown human lymph nodes (called organoids) to better understand how the human immune system responds to transplanted tissue. We will use these organoids to study how the immune system reacts to transplant signals and to test a promising new “living medicine” cell therapy called CAR Tregs. CAR Tregs are engineered immune cells that can help protect transplants by calming down harmful immune responses. By studying how these cells interact with other immune cells in the organoids, we aim to discover better ways to prevent rejection without heavy medication. This research could also lead to new treatments for autoimmune and other immune-related diseases.