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Colby Maldini, Ph.D.

  • Caspar Wistar Fellow, HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center

Colby Maldini, Ph.D. is an immunologist specializing in cellular immunotherapy for infectious diseases and cancer. He obtained a B.S. degree in Biological Chemistry from Bates College (Lewiston, ME) and received his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA). Maldini joined The Wistar Institute’s HIV Cure and Viral Diseases Center as a Caspar Wistar Fellow in February 2025.

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The Maldini Laboratory

cmaldini@wistar.org

The Maldini Laboratory

The Maldini Lab leverages emerging genome engineering technologies to address challenges in immunotherapies and enhance their functionality for next-generation treatments. By integrating gene-editing technology such base editing systems with synthetic biology, we aim to overcome therapeutic resistance, improve safety and expand the application of engineered immune cells to treat serious human diseases.

Maldini Lab in the News

Selected Publications

Hypoimmunogenic HLA-E Single Chain Inhibits Alloreactive Immune Responses

Maldini C.R., Coholan L.J., Karaca C.. “Hypoimmunogenic HLA-E Single Chain Inhibits Alloreactive Immune Responses.” J Immunol. 2024;213(12):1799-1810. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.2400491

Immunosuppressant therapy averts rejection of allogeneic FKBP1A-disrupted CAR-T cells

Maldini, C. R., Messana, A. C., Bendet, P. B., Camblin, A. J., Musenge, F. M., White, M. L., Rocha, J. J., Coholan, L. J., Karaca, C., Li, F., Yan, B., Vrbanac, V. D., Marte, E., Claiborne, D. T., Boutwell, C. L.,  Allen, T. M.  “Immunosuppressant therapy averts rejection of allogeneic FKBP1A-disrupted CAR-T cells.” Mol Ther. 2024;32(10), 3485–3503. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.06.022

Dual CD4-based CAR T cells with distinct costimulatory domains mitigate HIV pathogenesis in vivo

Maldini, C.R., Claiborne, D.T., Okawa, K., Chen, T., Dopkin, D.L., Shan, X., Power, K.A., Trifonova, R.T., Krupp, K., Phelps, M., Vrbanac, V.D., Tanno, S., Bateson, T., Leslie, G.J., Hoxie, J.A., Boutwell, C.L., Riley, J.L., Allen, T.M. “Dual CD4-based CAR T cells with distinct costimulatory domains mitigate HIV pathogenesis in vivo.” Nat Med. 2020 Nov;26(11):1776-1787. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1039-5. Epub 2020 Aug 31.

Characterization of CAR T cell expansion and cytotoxic potential during Ex Vivo manufacturing using image-based cytometry

Maldini, C.R., Love, A.C., Tosh, K.W., Chan, L.L., Gayout, K., Smith, T., Riley, J.L. “Characterization of CAR T cell expansion and cytotoxic potential during Ex Vivo manufacturing using image-based cytometry.” J Immunol Methods. 2020 Sep-Oct;484-485:112830. doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2020.112830. Epub 2020 Aug 1.

HIV-Resistant and HIV-Specific CAR-Modified CD4+ T Cells Mitigate HIV Disease Progression and Confer CD4+ T Cell Help In Vivo

Maldini, C.R., Gayout K, Leibman, R.S., Dopkin, D.L., Mills, J.P., Shan, X., Glover, J.A., Riley, J.L. ”HIV-Resistant and HIV-Specific CAR-Modified CD4+ T Cells Mitigate HIV Disease Progression and Confer CD4+ T Cell Help In Vivo.” J Clin Invest. Mol Ther. 2020 Jul 8;28(7):1585-1599. doi: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.05.012. Epub 2020 May 15.

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