Wyss Institute’s iNodes Team Secures ARPA-H Award to Advance Implantable Immune Organs for Ovarian Cancer Treatment
The Wyss Institute at Harvard University has received an ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health award to advance iNodes, an innovative therapeutic approach using implantable lymphoid organs to treat ovarian cancer. This novel immunotherapy has the potential to significantly improve outcomes for women with advanced ovarian cancer, one of the deadliest forms of female reproductive cancer.
Developed by Wyss Institute Senior Scientist Dr. Girija Goyal and her team, iNodes are engineered lymphoid organs that can be injected at tumor sites to activate the body’s immune system. These artificial immune command centers transform "cold tumors" into "hot tumors," enabling a sustained and targeted anti-tumor response. The approach builds on a key observation: a minority of ovarian cancer patients who survive long-term naturally develop lymphoid organs within their tumors, reprogramming their immune systems to fight the cancer and prevent recurrence.
Girija Goyal and a team at the Wyss Institute developed the first injectable lymphoid organs (iNodes) for therapeutic purposes which they are now validating for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University
“We have developed implantable formulations of human lymphoid organs that could be injected at the operating table right after tumors are removed or directly inside the tumor if it cannot be removed. ARPA-H support will tremendously accelerate our technology validation and translation into clinical stages, addressing a critical unmet need for women with ovarian cancer.” — Dr. Goyal
Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed in late stages when metastatic disease has already developed. Current therapies are limited, leaving 12,000 women in the U.S. expected to die from the disease in 2024. Moreover, ovarian cancer receives only 1% of the global investment in solid tumor R&D, reflecting broader underfunding of women’s health research. ARPA-H launched the Sprint for Women’s Health to bridge this gap by supporting transformative innovations like iNodes.
With the ARPA-H award, the Wyss team will now test iNodes in mouse models of human ovarian tumors, combining them with immune checkpoint therapies to enhance efficacy. If successful, iNodes could provide an accessible and cost-effective alternative to other personalized cell therapies, with significantly reduced manufacturing complexity.
The iNodes approach envisions patients banking their immune cells ahead of surgery, allowing the creation of lymphoid organ formulations tailored to their tumors. Once injected, these formulations develop into immune-activating structures within days or weeks, offering immediate protection against residual tumor cells and recurrence.
Dr. Donald Ingber, Wyss Founding Director, noted:
“We believe the iNodes project has the potential to produce an effective and relatively inexpensive solution in the fight against ovarian cancer, facing far fewer hurdles than complex manufacturing of other personalized cell therapies. It also highlights the growing reach of the Women’s Health Catalyst here at the Wyss Institute.”
The Wyss team, led by Dr. Goyal and supported by researchers including Dr. Sudip Paudel and Abdul Isaacs, aims to de-risk and validate iNodes in preclinical models.
Topics: Novel Therapeutics
