Lupe Salazar, MD
University of Washington
Adoptive Transfer of Tumor Specific Th1 Cells Derived from Vaccine-Primed Patients Achieved Clinical Benefits
Adoptive immunotherapy can induce cancer regression but rarely results in cure. We have infused HER2-specific Th1 cells in breast cancer patients, and 50% of patients had a partial or complete response to the treatment. Dr. Salazar hypothesizes that Th1/Th17 immune cells that can recognize tumor cells can have enhanced therapeutic efficacy. This project will determine the optimal conditions to grow these multifunctional immune cells in the lab in order to enhance their ability to identify and target cancer cells using IGFBP2. Results from this project will lead to a phase I study of adoptive immunotherapy in ovarian cancer after priming with an IGFBP2 vaccine.