Q&A with Indrani Das: Designing Tiny ‘Grenades’ to Penetrate Solid Cancer Tumors
July 1, 2026Indrani Das, an MD‑PhD student at Case Western Reserve University, is developing a peptide that can penetrate solid cancer tumors to improve chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
Indrani Das believes that science is for everyone. From asking bold questions to challenging assumptions, anyone can engage in the scientific process.
“Science isn’t something that requires a fancy degree or a fancy institution,” she said. “It’s a way of life. It’s a way of thinking and being, outside of research.”
Das has been fascinated with science since high school, when she won a national competition for her independent research. Now an MD‑PhD student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, she has received a 2026 PhRMA Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship in Translational Medicine for her effort to improve chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which modifies a patient’s own T cells to recognize and kill cancer cells.
Das is engineering CAR T cells to secrete a peptide that better penetrates and attacks solid cancer tumors, which have historically been difficult to treat. When the peptide gets to the surface of the cancer cell, it acts like a tiny grenade, blowing open the dense tumor to gain entry for the medicine.
Watch the video to learn more about Das and her research.
