Immunotherapy enables treatment of solid cancerous tumours
University of Calgary researchers have developed a first-in-class CAR T-cell therapy that trains the immune system to target and kill cancer cells.
A new immunotherapy developed at the University of Calgary is being used to treat solid cancerous tumours.
University of Calgary and McMaster University researchers discovered a unique target present on a specific group of solid cancerous tumours. Armed with that information, researchers from the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy, a core research centre of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, developed a new experimental therapy based on Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T) that harnesses a patient’s immune system, training it to find the target and destroy the cancerous cells. The discoveries are published in Nature and Nature Cancer. The findings provide a blueprint for combatting some treatment resistant cancers.
Expanding therapeutic possibilities for hard-to-treat cancers
In Calgary, the therapy has been given to two Canadian patients with alveolar soft-cell sarcoma, a rare type of malignant tumour. The first patient, Stéphanie Alain, lived significantly longer than expected. The novel therapy extended her life by 18-months. Her bravery, in the face of tremendous health challenges, and her willingness to be part of this important study throughout her treatments allowed the scientists to dive deeper into how to make the medicine more effective.
A second participant, father of two, Kent B., was approved and treated with GCAR1 in combination with a well-tolerated effective companion immunotherapy. The results have been overwhelmingly positive for the 55-year-old, with his care team reporting that the lesions on his lungs had decreased by more than half the size.
Accelerating the translation of discovery to impact
The researchers are studying Kent’s tumour samples before and after the GCAR1 therapy and are already working toward more advanced versions of the GCAR. The distinct marker the GCAR therapy targets is also present on kidney cancers and glioblastomas. The Nature paper led by McMaster researchers delves into the pre-clinical findings associated with glioblastomas.
Research at the Riddell Centre for Cancer Immunotherapy is one example of therapies being developed as part of the Living Medicines Initiative at the Cumming School of Medicine. These therapies use the body’s own building blocks, including cells, genes and microbes (living organisms found in and on your body, such as in your gut and on your skin), to detect, respond to and repair disease at its source.
The study conducted at UCalgary was supported by generous philanthropic contributions, as well as grants from Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), BioCanRx, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation and Alberta Cancer Foundation. Additional support is detailed in the paper.
Dr. Mona Shafey, MD shows the research team the changes in the study participant's lungs where some tumours have seemingly disappeared after the second treatment.
Dr. Douglas Mahoney, PhD (R) and Dr. Franz Zemp, PhD analyze CAR T-cell readings.
Dr. Mona Shafey, MD speaks with study participant Kent B.
The first patient, Stéphanie Alain. The therapy extended her life by 18 months.
Media Contacts
Kristen Fong
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(403) 605-5962
kmfong@ucalgary.ca
