April 5, 2013
Community update!
SITC Member and Other Researchers Awarded Grant to Develop Next Generation Immunotherapy for Children with Neuroblastoma
It is with great pleasure to announce that Dr. Carl June, a member of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) has been awarded with two other investigators, the ACT FAST grant (Adoptive Cell Therapy For Adolescent/pediatric Solid Tumor). This grant will fund the first ever clinical trial for a new experimental cancer immunotherapy treatment that uses transiently modified T cells in children with neuroblastoma. This $550,000 collaborative grant is spearheaded by Solving Kids’ Cancer and the trial is expected to begin later this year.
In a previous trial led by Dr. June and other investigators, the use of altered T cells and a disabled HIV virus was determinant to save the life of a seven-year-old girl with leukemia. The ACT FAST grant was then created to fast-track promising research like this into a clinical trial through a collaborative team of researches that includes Dr. June, Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Michael Pulsipher, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the Primary Children’s Medical Center/ University of Utah.
“We would like to congratulate Dr. June and the others involved for being awarded the ACT FAST grant,” Dr. Francesco Marincola, SITC President, said. “It is work such as this that is changing the face of cancer treatment options and the lives of those affected.”
SITC, along with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), provided strategic council and expert review for this grant award, which is jointly funded by Solving Kids’ Cancer, the Pierce Phillips Charity, and the Catherine Elizabeth Blair Memorial Foundation.
According to Dr. Grupp, who will direct the trial, the approach of the grant is rigorous, highly focused and intensely translational. By forming a team of collaborating pediatric physician-scientists across institutions the grant aims to not only advance research of engineered T cell treatments, but also to offer cutting-edge cancer immunotherapy clinical trial options to children whose cancer recurs or resists other treatment options.
Currently, neuroblastoma is responsible for 15 percent of all children’s cancer deaths and traditional treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiation shows little to no options to cure the disease. Early clinical studies utilizing cancer immunotherapies have also shown initial success and promising potential as more effective treatment options in some blood cancers.
"The mission of SITC is to advance the science and application of cancer immunotherapy," Dr. Marincola added. "The Society is proud to have collaborated with Solving Kids’ Cancer and the ACT FAST initiative, who are all working together to make cancer immunotherapy one of the four standards of care."
Dr. June is also the recipient of SITC’s 2013 Richard V. Smalley, MD Memorial Award. Hear more from Dr. June at SITC's 2013 Annual Meeting when he presents the keynote address on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2013. For more information, visit: http://www.sitcancer.org/2013/annual-meeting/awards
Submit your research to The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, the official journal of SITC! The Society is pleased to offer SITC members waived article processing charges for manuscripts accepted through 2013. For more information, visit: http://www.sitcancer.org/journal
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Now accepting submissions in: • Basic Tumor Immunology • Clinical/Translational Cancer Immunotherapy • Immunotherapy Biomarkers • Reviews/Editorials |
