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.
Members
Latest News
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
Many cancer patients may need a sequential one-two punch of immunotherapies
Treating patients with anti-CTLA4 therapies prior to anti-PD1 treatment may be a promising strategy
Timothy Baffi receives ACS award to study acute myeloid leukemia
New support from the American Cancer Society fuels research into the primary mutations behind many cancer types
LJI launches new global cancer immunology resource
National Cancer Institute support brings cancer researchers together to share key findings
Learning from men. Learning from women.
Men and women have different immune systems. With a better understanding of sex-specific immune differences, scientists can more effectively fight infections, cancers, heart disease, and even pregnancy complications.