| Project title | Designing Immune Killer Cells for Adults and Children With Brain Cancer |
|---|---|
Grant Amount | $345,000 |
Institution | The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research |
Investigator Team | Early Career Fellow Dr. Ryan Coss and supervisor Dr. Misty Jenkins, with associate investigators Dr. Jordan Hansford, Dr. Robert de Rose, A/Prof. Kate Drummond, Dr. Matt Beasley and Prof. Mark Rosenthal |
Grant Type | 2017 Early Career Fellowship |
Years | 2017 – 2021 |
T cells are white blood cells which can recognise and kill tumour target cells. However, tumours often outsmarted the T cells so they can’t kill them anymore. This project aims to re-arm these T cells with new genetically engineered weapons to kill highly fatal brain cancers in both children and adults. These weapons are called Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) and are a form of adoptive cell immunotherapy.
Dr. Ryan Cross and his team will generate and validate CARs to treat High Grade Glioma (HGG) and Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), with the aim to rapidly translate any findings into clinical trials.
“Fellowships such as this allow for Early Career Researchers, such as myself, to build a solid foundation of work with which to progress into a scientific career, and would allow myself to continue to develop novel therapies to change the lives of families and patients with brain cancer.“
Dr. Ryan Cross
Progress: First annual progress report (April 2019)
My work looking at immunotherapy has found early evidence of efficacy against brain cancer cells in culture. However, whilst we are a long way from clinical translation, we are working to get evidence that these immunotherapies are effective in animal models. It is my hope that one day this therapy may provide some benefit to families living with loved ones with brain cancer, and I am working very hard to make this a reality.
This Fellowship has provided financial security that has allowed me to focus on developing novel and innovative immunotherapies. It has allowed me to interact with leaders in the field to discuss my projects, which in turn has advanced these projects faster than what would have otherwise been possible. With this fellowship I am well on the way to establishing a platform technology to allow for immunotherapies to be developed to treat the breadth of brain cancer types. This is no small feat, and will require time and significant effort, but it is a new modality of treatment that I think has great potential for real world change in the treatment of brain cancer. Without this funding, such advancements would either not occur or be incremental, and so I am very grateful for the opportunity that this fellowship has provided, to not only further my career but allow me the opportunity to potentially have a lasting impact in the world.