OCT 05, 2016 10:30 AM PDT

Immunotherapy of Cancer Using Genetically-Enhanced T Cells

Speaker
  • Michael Milone, PhD

    Assistant Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Associate Director, Toxicology Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania Perelman Scho
    BIOGRAPHY

Abstract

The immune system possesses significant cytotoxic potential. Stimulating natural immunity through vaccination has shown promising effects in some cancers; however, a number of barriers limit the efficacy of the natural immune system including tolerance to self-antigens and immunodeficiency associated with cancer and associated chemotherapy.  Adoptive immunotherapy using T-cells that are genetically modified to express an artificial receptor that combines the antigen specificity of an antibody with the signal transduction machinery of the T-cell receptor in a single chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) hold significant promise for overcoming many of the barriers to anti-cancer immunity.  This talk will describe the clinical applications of CARs that target CD19, a molecule expressed by normal B-cells and cells in a range of B-cell malignancies including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) as well as a CARs targeting BCMA for multiple myeloma and mesothelin for solid malignancies. Toxicity related to this cell therapy that includes a cytokine release syndrome and long term B-cell aplasia will also be discussed.
 


OCT 05, 2016 10:30 AM PDT

Immunotherapy of Cancer Using Genetically-Enhanced T Cells