University of Minnesota-Twin Cities · BiologyPennell Neurotoxicity Lab
Christopher A Pennell · Minneapolis, Minnesota
Research Focus
Dr. Christopher A. Pennell's lab at the University of Minnesota focuses on understanding neurotoxicity, a serious side effect associated with CAR T-cell therapy used in treating certain blood cancers. By developing a specialized mouse model, the lab investigates how these engineered immune cells can cause neurological adverse effects, aiming to reveal the underlying mechanisms and improve patient outcomes. Their work bridges basic research on CNS pathobiology with practical applications in cancer treatment, potentially leading to safer immunotherapy options.
CAR T-cell therapyneurotoxicityblood-brain barrierB-cell leukemiaimmunotherapyCNS pathologymouse modelscytokine response
Research Aims
5AIM 01Discover the factors that lead to blood-brain barrier dysfunction after CAR T-cell infusion.
AIM 02Investigate the cellular mechanisms driving neurological adverse effects caused by CAR T-cells.
AIM 03Analyze the role of cytokines in the central nervous system during neurotoxicity.
AIM 04Assess the impact of neurotoxicity on gene and protein expression in brain cells.
AIM 05Develop strategies to mitigate or prevent neurotoxicity in CAR T-cell therapy.
Skills the Lab Values
cell culturemouse modelsgenetic engineeringimmunological assayssingle-cell RNA sequencingbehavioral testingflow cytometrypharmacological interventionshistological analysis
Output against the department
Publications74bottom 21% of dept.815th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.5kbottom 18% of dept.852nd of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.