Cell Immunotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics Program (CIETP).

University Of Colorado Denver, Aurora CO

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cancer is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. However, a significant advancement to treating cancer is the discovery of immune-based therapy. This is a rapidly changing field that requires future clinician researchers to draw upon a unique skillset that is quite distinct from current investigation and practice, as host features play a dominant role over traditional, anatomical-driven parameters. The goal of this proposed T32 program is to train future oncology clinical providers and researchers in the most advanced and promising forms of immune-directed and cell therapy, by integrating those newly required skills into a training plan that addresses those unique needs. The program is designated as the Cell Immunotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics Program (CIETP and is uniquely tailored to adapt to the specific training requirements of clinical fellows, now including medical specialties like Nephrology, Neurology, and Rheumatology that are incorporating cell therapy trials in their clinical research portfolios. CIETP addresses new challenges including a multitude of new agents in development, new mechanisms of action, distinct toxicity profiles, and a lack of patient selection strategies. The opportunity is to invent developmental therapeutics that exploit the power of immune-based therapy, and we need to train our clinical researchers in novel ways. The CIETP has created an ecosystem that teaches advanced research and clinical skills to clinical trainees while giving them the opportunity to contribute to the development and testing of next generation of immunotherapies. We draw from the University of Colorado School of Medicine (UCSOM) basic research and clinical strengths and history of basic immune research (discovery of IL-1 and STING), allergy and autoimmunity research with world- class asthma (National Jewish), and diabetes (Barbara Davis) centers. The UCSOM has supported the creation of in-house facilities to produce clinical-grade cell therapy products, like CAR T and NK-cells and TILs, and to bridge the bench-to-bedside gap focused on creating advanced, humanized mouse models. The UCSOM is a leader in oncology clinical translation with a prestigious Developmental Therapeutics (DT) program, and has created a Personalized Medicine Center designed to facilitate patient-specific therapies, and to link the scientific potential with the delivery of patient care. CIETP draws upon our experience in successfully running this program over the last 4 years. In the first funding period, we successfully attracted candidates from multiple clinical training areas (medical, hematology, pediatric and surgical oncology), with a majority of women scientists, that included individuals from under represented background, and that were productive (based on the number of publications, clinical trials, and grants awarded), developing projects that were evenly distributed between basic and clinical track and covered the immune and cell therapy spectrum. As a measure of our success, all our trainees have continued their careers in academic positions. The CIETP has established the foundation for creating a unique training program, focused on preparing clinical investigators and physician scientists to discover and implement the next generation of immunotherapies. ,