The power of the immune system has held great promise for treating human disease, as witnessed by the eradication of many deadly and crippling infectious diseases (polio, smallpox, etc.) through vaccination. We now stand in the dawn of an era of harnessing the immune system in the fight against cancers. Recent advances demonstrate that an individual’s immune system can be activated to protect against cancer and help patients with cancer liver longer.

Contact

Director:  Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD
Administrator:  Cheryl Krieger
Administrative Assistant:  Charlene Kucala
E-mail:  Kunle.Odunsi@RoswellPark.org
Tel:  (716) 845-2375 or (716) 845-8376
Fax: (716) 845-1595

The Center for Immunotherapy at RPCI was established in 2009 as an infrastructure to conduct early entry Phase I/II cancer immunotherapy clinical trials focusing on “high priority” agents and combinations of immunotherapy modalities. The primary goal of the center is to address the challenge of developing effective immunologic therapies for human cancers. The Center is testing strategies such as cancer vaccines, antibody therapy, cellular therapy and immune response modifiers. Because of the recognition that several variables need to be brought together and tested individually in the construction of successful immunotherapies, the center seeks to test the variables in parallel, rather than sequential, clinical trials.

The center will be supported by the full spectrum of Roswell Park Cancer Institute core laboratories. To this end, two new core laboratories have been created. They are the cGMP Therapeutic Cell Production Facility and Immune Analysis Facility.

cGMP Therapeutic Cell Production Facility (TCPF) The therapeutic cell facility is a unique self contained modular unit capable of producing immune cells under the strict conditions of purity and sterility required by the Food and Drug Administration and by New York State.

Immune Analysis Facility (IAF) A facility that is fully equipped to monitor various biologic markers of immune status and function.

Although the functions and technical requirements of these facilities are closely linked, the work done in them is substantially different. In the TCPF, human lymphocytes, mononeuclear dendritic cells or stem cells are isolated, conditioned and expanded to sufficient numbers prior to administration to cancer patients.

In the IFA, baseline immune function parameters for the patient are measured and reported at various intervals after the treatment. This allows us to understand how the immune therapy under study is working to produce desirable immunologic effects, and if not, how best to further optimize the therapy.

This pair of “sister” facilities enables the preparation of cells and other immunologic agents and determination of their effect on anti-tumor immune function following administration. This system enables investigators to determine whether the treatment is causing the expected change in the immune system and whether any anti-tumor response obtained can be attributed to augmentation of immune functions.