Susanna Greer: This researcher is fueled up to find a cure
Susanna Greer, Chief Scientific Officer at the V Foundation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“This researcher is fueled up to find a cure.
This week I’ve been reading about how we treat solid cancers – tumors that grow in organs like the liver or lungs – and I am reminded of how that can feel like trying to break into a fortress. These cancers have strong defenses that make it hard for current treatments, including advanced immunotherapies, to work.
The study I’m sharing with you is from the V Foundation grantee Dr. Andras Heczey at Baylor College of Medicine and focuses on an innovative approach to boost the body’s cancer-fighting army, using genetically modified immune cells called CAR T cells.
Think of CAR T cells as specialized soldiers trained to recognize and destroy cancer. These ‘soldiers’ have had great success against certain blood cancers but often struggle with solid tumors.
To help the CAR T cells out, Dr. Heczey and team gave them a ‘power-up’: a protein called IL-15. This protein acts like a high-energy fuel, helping the cells survive longer, multiply more effectively, and fight harder once they enter the cancer ‘fortress’.
The study included two groups of patients battling hepatocellular carcinoma, the third-most common cause of cancer-related death in the world, and a type of cancer that overproduces a protein called GPC3, which is found on the surface of these tumors.
About two-thirds of the patients that received the new ‘powered-up’ version of CAR T cells, called 15. CAR T cells, saw their cancer stop growing, and one-third had their tumors shrink – a very promising step forward.
For patients with solid cancers, especially those who have run out of options, this approach offers new hope. By giving CAR T cells the equivalent of an energy drink, Dr. Heczey and team are helping them overcome the cancer’s defenses.
The findings are a step toward more effective treatments for stubborn tumors, potentially improving survival and quality of life for patients facing these daunting diagnoses.
Keep up this awesome work Team Heczey!”
More posts featuring Susanna Greer.
Susanna F. Greer is the Chief Scientific Officer at the V Foundation. Before this role, Dr. Greer was a Senior Scientific Director at the American Cancer Society, where she led the Biochemistry and Immunology of Cancer Research Program.
Greer’s work focuses on identifying crucial signaling pathways in the immune response to cancer and has led to significant discoveries in molecular immunology and new epigenetic targets.
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