Mission
The Center for Cancer Immunotherapy aims to harness and amplify the cancer-fighting potential of a wide variety of immune cells to dramatically increase the number of cancer patients who benefit from cancer immunotherapy.
Overview
The Center for Cancer Immunotherapy at La Jolla Institute is at the forefront of exploring new and sometimes unexpected avenues for novel immune-based cancer treatments, as well as predicting and improving the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies. It brings together some of the world’s most innovative scientists, who are not afraid to leave the beaten path and tackle major questions in new ways: How to select the best targets for personalized cancer vaccines? How to predict which patients will respond to cancer immunotherapy and how to overcome tumor resistance? How to engage hitherto ignored types of immune cells in the fight against cancer?
What is cancer immunotherapy?
Cancer immunotherapies rally a patient’s immune cells to attack tumor cells and are a source of great hope in cancer care. Several of them are specifically designed to supercharge T cells, which use receptors on their surface to scan anything they encounter to determine whether it is friend or foe. These game-changing treatments have brought cancer patients back from the brink and vanquished tumors resistant to conventional therapies. Despite being hailed as miracle cures, immune-based cancer therapies actually only benefit a minority of cancer patients. The problem is that tumors have developed a suite of molecular tools to thwart the ability of T cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. This challenge has prompted our scientists to look to different divisions of the immune system to overcome tumor cell defenses.
Cancer Immunotherapy Resource Guide
The growing field of cancer immunotherapy is full of promise, and questions. In April 2021, La Jolla Institute for Immunology released an updated version of its Understanding Cancer Immunotherapy resource guide to provide a brief, easy-to-understand overview of the different types of cancer immunotherapy and some of the cutting-edge related research at the Institute advancing Life Without Cancer.
Pediatric Cancer Resource Guide
Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death among children under the age of 19 in the United States. Scientists researching pediatric cancer are looking for the answers that will help us improve treatments and outcomes for childhood cancer patients, and ultimately save lives.
In September 2022, in honor of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, LJI partnered with the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation to create a fact-based resource guide which provides an overview of pediatric cancer, the funding landscape for current research efforts, and how LJI scientists are contributing to the fight.
Members
Latest News
Investigating cancer drug toxicity leads to a critical discovery
LA JOLLA—It’s not often that a failed clinical trial leads to a scientific breakthrough. When patients in the UK started
Strange DNA structures may drive cancer development
LJI researchers shed light on the role of TET enzymes in genomic stability and cancers
Six LJI scientists named “Highly Cited Researchers”
The international recognition reflects how LJI research is valued by scientific peers
Immune cells can detect cancer
Now we can see what they see — and help
Preparing T cells for the long haul
New LJI research could keep cancer-fighting T cells from burning out before the job is done
Hard-working enzyme keeps immune cells in line
LJI scientists develop new tool for understanding enzymatic activity linked to blood cancers and heart disease