Richard T O'NEIL

Title: Richard T. O’Neil and Perforin-Null T-Cell Technology.

Introduction

Richard T. O’Neil is an inventor associated with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. His work includes a patent describing engineered T cells that lack Perforin function and can serve as targeted peptide-delivery platforms.

Latest Patents

O’Neil is associated with 1 patent: “Lymphocytes Lacking Perforin Function.” The patent describes T cells whose Perforin function is lost, reduced, or inhibited. Although these cells lack the conventional Perforin-dependent ability to kill target cells, they can home to target tissues, invade them, and persist and proliferate there. The disclosed approach uses antigen recognition to direct the cells to tumors or other tissues, where they may deliver anti-cancer, pre-immune, or therapeutic peptides without directly destroying the target tissue through Perforin-dependent cytotoxicity.

Career Highlights

O’Neil’s patent work connects cellular engineering with targeted therapeutic delivery. The described platform focuses on using the tissue-homing properties of modified T cells while limiting their conventional cytotoxic function.

Collaborations

The provided information identifies Vanderbilt University as O’Neil’s company affiliation and Matthew H. Wilson as a coworker. The patent description highlights an approach that may support collaborative research in engineered cell therapies and targeted peptide delivery.

Conclusion

Richard T. O’Neil’s patent presents a strategy for directing Perforin-deficient T cells to selected tissues to deliver therapeutic peptides while avoiding direct Perforin-dependent cell killing.