Immunotherapy

The Division of Immunotherapy focuses on immunotherapy for cancer, immunological diseases and viral infection. Researchers have leveraged new concepts of immunotherapy for vaccine development and treatment of sequela associated with either viral infection or clinical treatment of the infections and cancer.

Members in the Division have a long-tradition of academic excellence in pioneering concept of immune recognition and in translating them into drug development programs with potentially transformative impact for patient care.

In immunological diseases, the Division’s fundamental investigations on mechanism of self-non-self discrimination and linkage between innate and adaptive immune response have led to a novel clinical stage immunotherapeutic with the potential to reduce devastating consequences of graft vs. host diseases while preserving the beneficial graft vs. leukemia effect in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

In cancer immunotherapy, the Division’s investigation into mechanism of cancer therapeutic effect vs. autoimmune adverse effect leads to new generation of immunotherapeutic antibodies that preserve therapeutic effect with minimal adverse effect.

The Division’s studies on cancer biology has led to discovery of new antigenic epitopes that are broadly expressed on cancer tissue but largely absent in normal tissues. Antibodies against such epitopes have been generated and are being developed to direct T cells to kill cancer cells.