The BC Cancer Foundation is looking to raise $6.8 million to expand its provincial immunotherapy research program, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at revolutionizing cancer care and increasing access to life-saving treatments.
91裸聊视频淒onor support has been critical in advancing immunotherapy research and bringing hope to patients who do not respond to existing treatments,91裸聊视频� said Dr. Brad Nelson, director of the Deeley Research Centre. 91裸聊视频淭his campaign will help ensure more patients, including children and those with challenging cancers, have access to these life-changing therapies.91裸聊视频�
The campaign builds on the origins of the Victoria research centre, established in 2003 solely by donors. A world-renowned hub for immunotherapy advancements, the team at Deeley Research Centre collaborates with BC Cancer91裸聊视频檚 clinical immunotherapy researchers to bring cutting-edge treatments from lab bench to patient, the foundation said in a news release.
Immunotherapy harnesses the power of the immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells.
The research has made significant strides in recent years, with the BC Cancer Foundation91裸聊视频檚 program specializing in CAR-T cell therapy 91裸聊视频� treating patients with genetically engineered immune cells.
Co-led by The Ottawa Hospital, the first CAR-T clinical trial (CLIC-01) for leukemia and lymphoma showed 43 per cent of participants 91裸聊视频� who had exhausted all other treatment options 91裸聊视频� achieving complete regression. Now, two or more years out from treatment, many are cancer-free without signs of relapse.
Noel Schacter was facing non-Hodgkin91裸聊视频檚 lymphoma that was no longer responding to chemotherapy when he joined the first clinical trial.
Four years later he remains cancer free.
91裸聊视频淓very day I have to pinch myself and say 91裸聊视频榊ou91裸聊视频檙e still here and you really shouldn91裸聊视频檛 be. This cancer would91裸聊视频檝e killed you.91裸聊视频� And there91裸聊视频檚 no doubt about that,91裸聊视频� he said.
CAR-T therapy recently became the standard of care in B.C. for certain cancers, highlighting the immense potential of this treatment to transform cancer care.
The new $6.8 million campaign will focus on expanding blood cancer research and the solid tumour pre-clinical program.
Blood cancer research is focused on completing the successful CLIC-01 trial 91裸聊视频� testing CD19 CAR-T therapy for patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma. The immunotherapy research team also plans to seek market authorization from Health Canada to expand access to the therapy across the country.
The team is also launching a second clinical trial targeting the CD22 protein in lymphoma and leukemia patients, including pediatric patients. Building on the knowledge that patients from the first clinical trial who did not respond to treatment were missing the CD19 protein, this trial seeks to enable more patients to benefit from CAR-T therapy.
Patients from across B.C. will be able to access this groundbreaking trial.
Led by BC Cancer, the trial will include hospitals in Ontario and Alberta, marking an important step toward making these innovative therapies more widely available.
The solid tumour pre-clinical program tackles one of the toughest challenges in cancer care: developing CAR-T therapies for solid tumors, such as ovarian and pancreatic cancers, which are particularly difficult to treat.
Researchers are working on a new approach targeting a protein called mesothelin and are exploring ways to further enhance CAR-T therapy using innovative cell engineering approaches, the foundation said.
The ultimate goal is to launch CLIC-03, a clinical trial for solid tumours by 2027, creating new treatment options for patients with few alternatives.
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