Other Cellular Immunotherapies

Natural killer (NK) Cell Therapy

Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of white blood cell the immune system uses to fight disease and infection. Unlike T-cells, which attack foreign cells (antigens), NK cells attack any cell that appears abnormal.

Primarily available through clinical trials, NK cell therapy is a promising development in cellular immunotherapy.

Benefits of NK Cell Therapy

• Faster availability: NK cell therapy isn’t patient-specific, so patients can typically start treatment sooner.
• Treats solid tumors: Unlike other immunotherapies that can only treat blood cancers, NK cells can treat blood cancers and solid tumors.
• Broad anti-tumor activity: NK cells target many types of cancer cells at once.
• Reduced risk of side effects: Compared to other cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation and some immunotherapies, NK cell therapy causes fewer and less severe side effects.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) Therapy

Another promising cellular immunotherapy in development is tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. TILs are a type of white blood cell that can recognize and destroy cancer cells. In TIL therapy, TILs are grown directly from a tumor sample, then used to destroy cancer cells in the body.

TIL therapy is used to treat some types of melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma, lung cancer, genitourinary cancers and other malignancies. UH Seidman Cancer Center will soon offer AMTAGVI, a TIL therapy that is FDA-approved for the treatment of patients 18 years of age or older with melanoma that is unresectable (cannot be surgically removed) or is metastatic (has spread to other parts of the body).

Why Choose UH Seidman Cancer Center?

• The Wesley Center for Immunotherapy at UH Seidman Cancer Center is one of a select few facilities in the U.S. that develop CAR T-cell therapies, NK cell therapies and other cellular-based therapies on-site. Treatment can begin in eight days compared to 12 to 30 days commercially.
• UH Seidman Cancer Center is at the forefront of research to test and develop cellular immunotherapies. Clinical trials have shown higher rates of cancer remission and survival, giving patients options when other therapies aren’t effective.
• UH Seidman Cancer Center is an NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of 57 such cancer centers nationally. We’re rated “Exceptional,” a rating only seven NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers hold.
• UH Seidman Cancer Center has been rated one of the best cancer hospitals in the country for more than 20 years by U.S. News & World Report.
• UH Seidman Cancer Center is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). We’re also part of the Bone & Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) and have a specialized adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer program.
• UH Seidman Cancer Center has a 30-bed inpatient unit specializing in the treatment of hematologic malignancies.
• UH Seidman Cancer Center is involved in pioneering outpatient administration of cell-based immunotherapy and stem cell transplant. When it is an option, outpatient treatment offers many advantages for patients.

Wesley Center for Immunotherapy at UH Seidman Cancer Center

The Wesley Center for Immunotherapy at UH Seidman Cancer Center is named in honor of Kimberly and Joseph Wesley. The Wesley family donated $10 million to support groundbreaking research to bring new, life-extending immunotherapy to patients.

Generates NK cell, CAR T and other cell-based therapies is on site, that center offers patients access to the latest therapies more quickly. For example, UH Seidman Cancer Center experts are creating therapeutic cells in just eight days, down from an average of 12 – 30 days commercially. This allows UH Seidman Cancer Center physicians to deliver therapy in a timely manner to more patients than would otherwise be possible.

Access to Clinical Trials for Cellular Immunotherapies

The cancer team at UH Seidman Cancer Center is busy discovering the next generation of innovations in cancer care. Active in research aimed at improving and expanding the uses of cellular immunotherapies, UH Seidman Cancer Center was the first cancer center to launch an investigator-initiated clinical trial to study universal donor NK cells in combination with the IL-2 protein and a drug called vactosertib as a potential treatment for colorectal cancer and hematological malignancies.