PICI Network In the News | Recent Highlights
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Our mission is to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is committed to turning all cancers into curable diseases faster, with a relentless focus on science, collaboration, patients and bold action. The PICI Network gives life to this pursuit, pushing novel immunotherapy research forward with partnerships, events, awards and individual accomplishments.?
Every month, we’ll round up PICI Network news to highlight collaborations between researchers, nonprofits and industry, highlighting the impact of our collective pursuits on the field.?
Read on for recent achievements.?
Center News & Research Advances?
Penn Medicine | June 4, 2022
A combination of chemotherapy with an immunotherapy meant to unleash the anticancer capacity of the immune system was effective against pancreatic cancer in a national, randomized clinical trial led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and sponsored by the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center | June 8, 2022
A research team, led by UCLA’s Anusha Kalbasi, MD, in collaboration with scientists from Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania, has shown that a synthetic IL-9 receptor allows T cells to do their work without chemo or radiation. T cells engineered with the synthetic IL-9 receptor, designed in the laboratory of Christopher Garcia, PhD, at Stanford, were potent against tumors in mice, as published in Nature.
Gladstone Institutes | June 23, 2022
Researchers at Gladstone Institutes and Stanford University have revealed the genetic switches that get flipped in exhausted T cells. In the process, they discovered how to prevent this immune exhaustion—a major step toward improving immune-based treatments for cancer. The study is published in Cancer Cell.?
Industry News
The Wall Street Journal | June 9, 2022
In research presented at ASCO, oncologists made early but promising inroads into various cancers with immunotherapy drugs from GSK PLC, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and others. In one study, Robert Vonderheide, director of the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and his team found that 34 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer who received a combination of two chemotherapy drugs and immunotherapy had a one-year survival rate of around 58%, compared with a historical average of 35% with chemotherapy alone. (Subscription required)
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | June 16, 2022
MD Anderson, Invectys Inc. and the Cell Therapy Manufacturing Center, a joint venture between MD Anderson and National Resilience Inc., have announced a strategic collaboration to jointly develop a reliable, compliant and scalable process for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G targeted CAR T cell therapy for solid tumors.
Verismo Therapeutics | June 21, 2022
Verismo Therapeutics, a recent University of Pennsylvania spin-out company behind the novel KIR-CAR platform technology for CAR T-cells, has entered into a Sponsored Research Agreement. Under the SRA, Verismo is funding additional KIR-CAR T-cell focused preclinical research programs at Penn to advance new potential treatment options for solid tumor indications.
Awards & Appointments
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The Pew Charitable Trusts | June 14, 2022
Six researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University and elsewhere have been named 2022 Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research. The early-career scientists will receive four-year grants to explore the complexities underpinning how cancer develops and novel ways to treat it.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | June 18, 2022
The award program recognizes individuals for their executive responsibility, leadership qualities, innovation, community service and other achievements.
Mount Sinai | June 21, 2022
The American Association of Indian Scientists in Cancer Research (AAISCR) has awarded Nina Bhardwaj, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Immunotherapy at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, the AAISCR 2022 Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research award.
Cancer Research Institute | June 22, 2022
Six U.S. scientists have been awarded $1.25 million each over five years to conduct high-risk, high-reward cancer immunology research with the potential to transform cancer treatment.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | June 27, 2022
Other News
Tribeca Festival | June 2022?
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman chronicles the monumental task of curing cancer, as seen through the harrowing experiences of young patient Emily Whitehead, her family and her physicians Dr. Carl June and Dr. Stephan Grupp of the University of Pennsylvania. Virtual screenings are available.