The cellular immunotherapy program, led by Dr. Michael Jensen, Associate Chair, Department of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology, develops innovative treatments that reduce the need for harsh radiation and chemotherapy. One of the most exciting programs underway at City of Hope, Cellular Immunotherapy is developing technology to take T-cells from a cancer patient and reprogram them through genetic engineering to target and eradicate the patient’s cancer.

Using Dr. Jensen’s pioneering technology, we have been able to isolate immune cells from a person’s blood sample and then engineer them to express an artificial receptor that will seek out and attack cancer cells. Our researchers then grow billions of identical, reprogrammed T-cells outside the body and re-infuse them into the patient, where they go to work eliminating the cancer.

City of Hope had the first-ever FDA-authorized clinical trials using reprogrammed T-cell therapy for lymphoma, neuroblastoma and glioma. Additionally, we have exported this technology to other medical and research centers and actively share our advancements through close collaboration.