Invitation to Cover:The Future of Personalized and Targeted Cancer Therapy --Penn Medicine Scientist and Trial Participant Detail Experiences on Leading Edge of Gene Therapy
Newswise — WASHINGTON, D.C. – Harnessing the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer through genetic modification of their own cells is rapidly emerging as a promising treatment option. Although these therapies provide great opportunities, they also pose unique challenges as investigators seek to refine the approach and expand the treatment option to more patients. A panel discussion at the AACR Annual Meeting 2013 – featuring the University of Pennsylvania physician-scientist leading the research team whose work has spurred worldwide attention to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technologies, and a trial participant whose leukemia remains in remission more than two and a half years after being treated with his own engineered cells – will explore the future of personalized cellular therapies.
WHERE:AACR Annual MeetingRoom 150Walter E. Washington Convention Center801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC 20001
WHEN:Sunday, April 7, 20131 to 3 PM EDT
WHO:• Carl June, MD, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of Translational Research in the Abramson Cancer Center• Douglas Olson, PhD, Penn Medicine modified T cell trial participant
Additional information about the trial:
Penn Medicine News Release: Genetically Modified "Serial Killer" T Cells Obliterate Tumors in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Penn Researchers Report – August 10, 2011 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2011/08/t-cells/
Penn Medicine News Release: University of Pennsylvania and Novartis Form Alliance to Expand Use of Personalized T Cell Therapy for Cancer Patients – August 6, 2012 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/08/novartis/
Penn Medicine News Release: Leukemia Patients Remain in Remission More Than Two Years After Receiving Genetically Engineered T Cell Therapy – December 8, 2012 http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2012/12/tcell/
T-Cell Therapy Eradicates an Aggressive Leukemia in Two Children – March 22, 2013 http://uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2013/03/grupp/
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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.
The Perelman School of Medicine has been ranked among the top five medical schools in the United States for the past 16 years, according to U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $398 million awarded in the 2012 fiscal year.
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Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2012, Penn Medicine provided $827 million to benefit our community.
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