Cristina Puig-Saus, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics

CPuigSaus@mednet.ucla.edu

Assistant Professor, Surgical Oncology

Research Areas

Cancer & Immunotherapy Cell & Gene Therapy

Cristina Puig-Saus, Ph.D., specializes in developing novel cancer immunotherapies. Her work focuses on understanding natural T-cell responses to cancer, as well as designing and clinically translating new cellular therapies for solid tumors.

Puig-Saus combines cutting-edge genetic engineering techniques and synthetic biology tools with cancer immunology to design and clinically translate new T-cell receptor- and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)- engineered T-cell therapies for cancer treatment. These therapies involve modifying a patient's own T cells to enhance their ability to recognize and attack cancer cells.

A key area of Puig-Saus' research involves understanding how the natural antitumor T-cell responses induced by immune checkpoint blockade therapies — a type of treatment that helps the body's immune system recognize and attack cancer cells — act in coordination to eliminate metastatic solid tumors. Puig-Saus aims to use the insights from this research to develop potent and durable T-cell therapies.

She is currently advancing an experimental CAR-T cell therapy for melanoma through IND-enabling studies, a crucial step towards opening a clinical trial.

Developing and testing a new type of CAR-T cell therapy A type of immunotherapy in which a patient’s own immune cells, called T cells, are programmed to attack tumor cells. Doctors do this by applying a special cancer-recognizing receptor, referred to as a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, to each T cell using gene therapy. The cells are then reintroduced to the patient by infusion. CAR-T cell therapy A type of immunotherapy in which a patient’s own immune cells, called T cells, are programmed to attack tumor cells. Doctors do this by applying a special cancer-recognizing receptor, referred to as a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, to each T cell using gene therapy. The cells are then reintroduced to the patient by infusion. for patients with malignant and rare melanomas
Investigating the immune system's response to melanoma in patients who do and do not benefit from anti-PD1 therapy to identify factors contributing to potent and durable immune responses against cancer
Designing next-generation CAR- and TCR-engineered T-cell therapies for melanoma, pancreatic cancer and other types of cancer
Exploring pharmacologic modulations that make T cell therapies more powerful and long-lasting