image: Southwest Research Institute and The University of Texas at San Antonio are funding the development of a smart biosensor coating to enable continuous monitoring and characterization of cells during the production of immunotherapies. Co-investigators Carlos M. Cantu, an SwRI research engineer, and Dr. Gabriela Romero Uribe, an associate professor in UT San Antonio’s Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design, plan to use smart sensors to automate processes to reduce human errors and costs associated with CAR T-cell production.
Credit: Southwest Research Institute
SAN ANTONIO — September 15, 2025— Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UT San Antonio) are advancing a smart biosensor coating to streamline the production of immunotherapies for cancer treatments. Researchers plan to use novel biosensor coatings to enable automated processes and reduce human errors and costs associated with their production.
“Quartz Crystal Microbalances (QCM) have been around since the mid-20th century, and they function by detecting mass changes on a surface. We initially adapted QCM technology during the pandemic to detect viruses,” said SwRI Research Engineer Carlos M. Cantu, co-investigator on the project. “We’re now developing a novel smart coating to enable a completely closed-loop process for continuous monitoring and characterization of cells during the production of immunotherapies, which should significantly reduce production costs.”
To tap into the immune system’s complex natural defenses, scientists can reprogram T lymphocytes, or T-cells, to attack cancer cells. A sub-type of white blood cells, T-cells guard the body against pathogens. By genetically engineering T-cells into chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR T-cells), doctors can target a patient’s specific cancer using their own blood cells. However, producing these personalized immunotherapies can cost between $300,000-$1 million for a single patient. Limitations in existing flow cytometry, the current method for CAR-T cell manufacturing, requires trained personnel, expensive equipment that lacks in-process real-time control, and manual labeling with antibodies to ensure that all other types of white blood cells and cancerous cells are filtered out during CAR T-cell production, as well as determination of generated CAR T-cells from T-cell starting material.
The SwRI and UT San Antonio research teams are working to ensure the novel biosensor coating will address barriers for wider accessibility of immunotherapies. The team plans to integrate their biosensor coating with existing technologies and bioreactors used to propagate CAR T-cells.
“We hope our sensor coatings will advance the CAR T-cell therapy ecosystem and that the platform can be adapted and expanded for other uses,” said co-investigator Dr. Gabriela Romero Uribe, an associate professor at UT San Antonio’s Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
The Connect program is sponsored by the Office of Research and Innovation at The University of Texas at San Antonio and the Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Southwest Research Institute. Smart biosensor research is one of three Connect program grants awarded in 2025.
“The advancement of science and technology cannot be done without interdisciplinary collaboration. The Connect program offers a great opportunity to initiate research that may potentially generate new and innovative technologies,” said Uribe.
For more information, visit https://www.swri.org/markets/biomedical-health/pharmaceutical-development/biochemistry-bioengineering/biologics-manufacturing-services.