News

Barbara Netter, ACGT President and Co-Founder, is “Donor of the Day”

Motivation for starting the foundation came directly from family. The Netters lost a daughter-in-law to breast cancer. Not long after and by coincidence, they met Dr. Savio Woo of Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Dr. Michael Lotze of the University of Pittsburgh. The doctors introduced the Netters to the possibilities and potential of cell and gene therapy for cancer patients. The therapy is a means of repairing defective or missing genes which cause cancer without the devastating effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Read More…

ACGT SAC Member, Dr. Michael T. Lotze Modifies Genes to Kill Cancer

“When I began my career, cancer was a great mystery. There was little or no biological understanding of the disease. The good news today is that some of that mystery has been lifted. We now know that cancer is fundamentally a disease of the genes and of cells. We have also come to understand that cancer cell and gene therapy is really about fighting fire with fire. It is about introducing through immunology, modified genes and killer cells (T-cells) that kill cancer cells!” Dr. Michael T Lotze, ACGT Research Fellow. Read More…

ACGT Research Star, Clodagh O’Shea, Ph.D., Develops Viral Therapies for Cancer

“Cancer research is an ongoing daily project that requires tremendous resources,” says O’Shea. “It is discouraging to see Federal cutbacks in funding. Like a climbing expedition you can get there but you need tremendous support to accomplish your goals. We are dealing with cancer and all bets have to be on the table so that we can attain these goals in a way that we can willingly and aggressively take the necessary risks to find answers.” Read More…

Groundbreaking ACGT-Funded Study on Leukemia Exceeds ‘Wildest Expectations’

Dr. Carl June has cancer treatment breakthrough in a leukemia study funded by a non-profit organization, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT). The treatment uses genetically modified versions of the patient’s own T cells, and has shown remission for up to a year in a small group of patients, several of whom are in complete remission. The protocol, which involves removing patients’ white blood cells and modifying them
in Penn’s vaccine production facility, then infusing the new cells back into the patient’s body following chemotherapy, provides a tumor-attack roadmap for the treatment of leukemia and other cancers including those of the lung and ovaries and myeloma and melanoma. This is the first demonstration of the use of gene transfer therapy to create “serial killer” T cells aimed at cancerous tumors. Read More…