Lyrics for Life / Stop Children's Cancer Jeffrey A. Block Research Award

An Engineered Antibody Targeting the T-Cell Receptor

He is working on developing bi-cistronic (BITE) antibodies that bind to the malignant T-Cells through a specific portion of the T-Cell Receptor. Because of the T-cells central role in orchestrating an immune response, it is critical to find a way to find the cancerous T-Cells without affecting the healthy T-Cells that are part of a normal immune response. The BITEs that Dr. Castillo is engineering are designed only to target the cancerous T-Cells and leave the healthy cells alone. Dr. Castillo is working on research to harness the immune system to find better cures for T-Cell leukemia and lymphoma. Already, Dr. Castillo has made exciting discoveries that promise to improve the outcomes for patients with leukemia and lymphoma, as well as solid tumors.