2017 Annual Report

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation | 11 DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION Learn more at www.thepmcf.ca/Immunotherapy Immunotherapy Strategies 2011 Rising stars Drs. Marcus Butler and Naoto Hirano are recruited from the U.S. for the immunotherapy program. 2009 Immune Therapy Program is launched at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. 2013 First adoptive T-cell therapy clinical trial opens in Canada at The Princess Margaret. 2015 Clinical leadership is expanded with Dr. Lillian Siu joining the immunotherapy program. 2017 30% of all open clinical trials at The Princess Margaret use immunotherapy. BOOSTING THE ARSENAL In adoptive T-cell therapy, samples of T-cells are taken out of a patient. A lab process is used to boost the number and effectiveness of these cells, so they can be put back into the patient to attack a tumour. T-CELLS ON ALERT The goal of cancer vaccines is to alert T-cells to the presence of cancer and to initiate a strong T-cell response against the tumour. UNLEASHING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM The immune system has ways of controlling its response to threats to the body. Most of the time, it holds back its response at various checkpoints. In immune checkpoint blockade, drugs are used to get the immune system to release the brakes and allow an immune response. 1. It harnesses the power of the immune system to fight cancer 2. It can specifically target cancer tissues 3. It can have fewer side effects 4. It’s poised to become the 4th pillar of cancer treatment 5. The Princess Margaret has Canada’s most comprehensive immunotherapy program 5 Facts About Immunotherapy IMMUNOTHERAPY AT THE PRINCESS MARGARET