Your application

Please complete the following fields to be considered for this project.

Please fill in this required field.
Please fill in this required field.
Please fill in this required field.
Please fill in this required field.
Please fill in this required field.
How much commitment will you have to this project?
Please select an option.
Are you available to dedicate 1-2 hours per week to the Build Project?
Please select an option.
Your application has been 
successfully submitted!
Explore more projects
Close
You already submitted an application for this project.
Explore more projects
Close
There was an error submitting your form. Please try again later or contact us.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

This project is no longer accepting applications. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of new projects!

Get updates
Applications for this project will open on
January 16, 2025
. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of new projects!
Get updates
The Immuno-oncology Frontiers: Pioneering T Cells Based Immunotherapies
Swarali Lele
Swarali Lele
Get updates
Register today
Apply now

The Immuno-oncology Frontiers: Pioneering T Cells Based Immunotherapies

Understand how next-generation immunotherapies are developed against cancer and assays used to define their effectiveness

Register today
Apply now
Mondays
 at
6:00
P.M.
 ET /
3:00
P.M.
PT
8 weeks, 2-3 hours per week
Intermediate
No experience required
No experience required
Some experience required
Degree and experience required

Description

Cancer remains one of the top three causes of death in the US and the next-generation immunotherapies are showing promise in clinical trials. However, it demands further research to fulfill the unmet medical needs. Before clinical application, the cell therapy product undergoes validation at the research scale.  

In this Build Project, you will assume the role of Associate Scientist, tasked with designing a T cell-based therapeutic by understanding the requirements. Under the guidance of an industry expert, you will conceptualize and design hypothetical experiments, utilizing functional assays such as flow cytometry and co-culture assay to determine the efficacy of the therapeutic. In the end, you will evaluate the data using statistical tools such as GraphPad Prism and present your findings. This experience will mimic the highly interactive, data-driven environment of the industry, offering valuable insights into the daily responsibilities of associate scientists and importance of data interpretation in advancing medical research.

Session timeline

  • Applications open
    January 16, 2025
  • Application deadline
    February 12, 2025
  • Project start date
    Week of July 8, 2024
    Week of
    March 3, 2025
  • Project end date
    Week of

What you will learn

  • Gain understanding on basic concepts about immuno-oncology and gene editing related to cell therapies
  • Explore available literature to design a theoretical T cell-based therapy against cancer  
  • Utilize industry-standard analytical tools such as flow cytometry and co-culture assays to determine effectiveness of the therapy
  • Use Microsoft Excel and GraphPad Prism to perform statistical analysis

Project workshops

1
Introductions and Career Options in Biotech
2
Introduction to Cancer Biology
3
Immune Cells to Rescue
4
Immunotherapy Development
5
Evaluating Immunotherapy Efficiency Part I: Flow Cytometry
6
Evaluating Immunotherapy Efficiency Part II: Co-Culture Assays
7
Statistical Analysis and Data Visualization
8
Final Project Presentation and Discussion

Prerequisites

  • A strong understanding about cell biology concepts such as cell structure and function, cell signaling, biochemistry including macromolecules, and basic molecular biology concepts such as gene expression
  • A basic understanding about immunology involving concepts such as immune system, T cells, antigens, antigen recognition
  • Experience with Microsoft Office, particularly MS Excel and MS PowerPoint
  • A basic understanding of high-school level math and chemistry unit conversions
  • Familiarity in scientific literature review, comprehending given concepts, and strong interest in research

Sign up today

Get access to all of our Build projects, including this one, by creating your Build account!

Register today
Log in

Apply to

Swarali

's project today!

Get started by submitting your application.

Apply now

Stay updated!

Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of new projects!

Please fill in this required field.
By clicking “Subscribe” you agree to our Terms of Services and Privacy Policy.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll notify you of new projects via email. In the meantime, you can explore our resources and learn more about our Fellows.

Discover our articles
There was an error submitting your form. Please try again later or contact us.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
About the expert

Swarali Lele

Molecular Biology Fellow
Open Avenues Foundation

Swarali is a Molecular Biology Build Fellow at Open Avenues, where she works with students leading projects in molecular biology.

Swarali is an Associate Scientist (Delivery/Editing) at Editas Medicine where she focuses on developing in vivo therapies against genetic diseases using CRISPR-based gene editing tools.

Swarali has over five years of experience in the field of gene editing, immunology, and biotechnology where she worked on both ex vivo and in vivo platforms with various drug delivery modalities.

She holds a master’s degree in medical biotechnology from the University of Illinois Chicago.

A fun fact about Swarali is that she is a trained Indian classical singer, and the meaning of her name is related to musical notes.

Visit
Swarali
's Linkedin