The immune cell engineers
The next frontier in medicine is rapidly unfolding as scientists, including USC Viterbi's Peter Yingxiao Wang, pivot towards reprogramming the body's own immune cells in vivo to combat a spectrum of diseases, from persistent cancers to autoimmune disorders. Wang's lab, for instance, recently published research in February 2026 on 'Tumour priming by ultrasound mechanogenetics for CAR T therapy,' leveraging focused ultrasound to precisely control engineered immune cells against tumors. This marks a critical shift from costly, complex ex vivo cell therapies to methods that could make advanced treatments significantly more accessible and effective.
















