Join us for an exciting talk exploring a cutting‑edge approach to solid tumor treatment that brings together cancer immunotherapy and synthetic biology. Dr. Rosa Vincent will present her groundbreaking work on engineering cooperation between CAR‑T cells and therapeutic bacteria—an emerging field with the potential to reshape the future of oncology.
In this session, Dr. Vincent will discuss how engineered probiotic E. coli can deliver synthetic CAR targets directly within tumors, enabling CAR‑T cells to recognize and destroy cancerous tissue in situ. She will also share new strategies to optimize cross‑kingdom communication, minimize inflammatory signaling, and enhance CAR‑T cell persistence.
This talk highlights an innovative, tumor‑agnostic platform that could overcome major barriers that have historically limited the success of CAR‑T therapy in solid tumors.
About the Speaker
Dr. Rosa Vincent is a Cancer Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellow working jointly at Baylor College of Medicine’s Center for Cell and Gene Therapy and Rice University’s BioScience Research Collaborative. Her research focuses on developing cooperative cell therapy platforms by integrating CAR‑T cells with engineered bacteria to address the complex microenvironment of solid tumors.
She began her research career at Imperial College London before completing her PhD at Columbia University, where she pioneered probiotic‑guided CAR‑T cells—the first demonstration of combining bacterial therapies with CAR‑T technology for universal tumor targeting. Her work stands at the forefront of synthetic biology and tumor immunology as she prepares for her future as an independent investigator.