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Patrick Hwu: Why treating neurological disorders like brain tumors is difficult

Patrick Hwu/LinkedIn

Dec 30, 2024, 12:33

Patrick Hwu: Why treating neurological disorders like brain tumors is difficult

Patrick Hwu, President and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center, shared a post on X about a recent paper by Milos Simic et al. published in Science:

“Science Saturday.

Treating neurological disorders like brain tumors is difficult in part due to a protective ‘wall’ called the blood-brain barrier, meant to block toxins from reaching brain cells.

In this study, Milos Simic, Nish Reddy et al. developed brain-sensing T cells, engineered to deliver brain tumor-specific chimeric antigen receptors upon sensing the brain tumor microenvironment.

This approach could pave the way for safer and more effective treatments for diseases like brain tumors, brain metastases, neuro-inflammation and more.”

“Programming tissue-sensing T cells that deliver therapies to the brain”

Authors: Milos Simic, Payal Watchmaker, Sasha Gupta, Hideho Okada, Wendell Lim et al.

Patrick Hwu: Why treating neurological disorders like brain tumors is difficult

More posts featuring Patrick Hwu.

Dr. Patrick Hwu, MD, currently serves as the President and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center. With a focus on understanding the dynamics between tumors and the immune system, Dr. Hwu’s research has been pivotal in advancing gene-modified T cell therapy.

He notably contributed seminal work on the development of the first chimeric antigen receptor aimed at combating cancer. His research portfolio extends to vaccines, adoptive T-cell therapies, and mechanisms of immune resistance.

Before joining, Dr. Hwu held numerous leadership roles at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center for over 17 years.

Notably, he served as the inaugural Chairman of the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology in 2003, as well as the Associate Director of the Center for Cancer Immunology Research. Additionally, he chaired the Department of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, demonstrating his commitment to advancing cancer treatment and research.