Research

Research Topics

1. CAR-T Cell Therapy for Hematologic Malignancies

We develop next-generation CAR-T cell therapies targeting CD19⁺ B cell malignancies, with an emphasis on overcoming antigen escape and T cell exhaustion.
Our approaches are validated using both syngeneic and xenograft (NSG) mouse models to rigorously assess in vivo therapeutic efficacy.

2. CAAR-T Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases

We engineer chimeric autoantibody receptor T (CAAR-T) cells that selectively eliminate autoreactive B cells while preserving normal immune function.
Building on our MuSK-CAART platform (clinical trial: NCT05451212), we are expanding this strategy to multiple B cell–mediated autoimmune diseases, including myasthenia gravis and pemphigus vulgaris.

3. Tumor Microenvironment & Immune Evasion

We investigate mechanisms of immune evasion in cancer, including antigen downregulation and immunosuppressive signaling within the tumor microenvironment.
Our goal is to develop strategies that enhance CAR-T cell persistence and efficacy, particularly in solid tumors.

4. CAR-T Signal Transduction & Functional Optimization

We study signaling interactions between CAR-T cells and target cells to understand how they regulate activation, persistence, and effector function.
This work aims to guide the rational design of optimized CAR constructs and combinatorial therapeutic strategies.

Overview

Dr. Sangwook Oh’s research focuses on the development and translation of CAR-T and CAAR-T cell therapies for both cancer and autoimmune diseases. His work integrates mechanistic studies, preclinical modeling, and clinical translation.

He has made key contributions to autoimmune CAR-T therapy through the development of a CAAR-T platform that selectively targets autoantibody-producing B cells while sparing normal immunity. This approach led to the development of MuSK-CAART, which is currently in clinical trials (NCT05451212) following successful technology transfer and patent licensing.

Dr. Oh has extensive experience in preclinical evaluation using syngeneic and xenograft mouse models, enabling robust in vivo validation of CAR-T and CAAR-T therapies across disease contexts.

Over the past five years, he has published multiple peer-reviewed articles, including first or co-first author papers in high-impact journals such as Nature Biotechnology (2023), Science Advances (2025), and Immune Network (2022), as well as collaborative work in Nature (2024) and The Journal of Clinical Investigation (2020).