Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is dedicated to becoming the leading cellular therapy innovation engine in the United States, if not the world, in the next 10 years. To accomplish this lofty goal, experts in transplant and cellular therapy have been brought in to support our Center of Excellence, providing advanced, comprehensive care for patients today while developing innovative next-generation treatments for the future.
A leader in stem cell transplant
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of the first centers in the world to routinely offer blood and bone marrow transplantation to cancer patients. Since 1977, we have performed more than 3,450 transplants and have continually strived to refine the treatment, improve outcomes, reduce complications, and make transplant available to more patients.
“These new methods make grade III-IV acute GVHD and severe chronic GVHD rare, allow long term immune tolerance off systemic prophylaxis, reduce toxicity and improve outcomes post-transplant.”
-Brian Betts, MD
Strategies for better transplant outcomes.
We have specific expertise in technologies to reduce complications, including graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and enhance quality of life.
Collaborative care
We partner with referring physicians to reduce inpatient duration and return patient to care of the primary oncologist sooner. While many aspects of transplant and cell therapy care will be managed at Roswell Park during the first 1-3 months, we aim to have patients back with their referring oncologists after 30 days post autologous transplantation or CAR T, or after 60-100 days following allogeneic transplantation. We will continue to see patients for comprehensive response assessments at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years post-transplant.
What’s next for cell therapy
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (Car) T-Cell Therapy
CAR T-cell therapies, made from a patient’s own T cell lymphocytes, offer new hope and potentially curative options for patients with relapsed or refractory disease, including, Large B cell, Mantle cell and follicular lymphomas, Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and Multiple myeloma.
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) Therapy
A cutting-edge cell therapy, TIL treatment offers a promising strategy for the treatment of advanced solid tumor cancers. Using each patient’s own T cells — collected from within their own tumor tissue — TIL therapy multiplies these cells and returns them to the patients. These cells need no engineering. They already know how to find and infiltrate the tumor.
Roswell Park currently offers TIL therapy through clinical trials for eligible patients with cervical carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Roswell Park is one of the first cancer centers in the country — and the only New York Center outside New York City — to offer the first FDA-approved TIL therapy for patients with metastatic melanoma.
When to refer a transplant patient? At the time of diagnosis.
The ideal time to refer a patient is at time of diagnosis or induction therapy. Even if your patient is in remission, immediate referral is advised to begin preliminary donor search and stem cell collection.
“We have a unique vision, the facilities needed, and an incredible team around us. I can't wait to see how the cellular therapy field is transformed by our work in the upcoming years."
- Shernan Holtan, MD
In the pipeline
Roswell Park has committed the investment, resources and focus to accelerate the development of next-generation CAR T-cell therapies, and several clinical trials are expected to open in the coming months and year.
Some highlights of this work include:
- A new CAR T therapy to prevent relapse and GVHD in patients with leukemia.
- Combining CAR T-cell therapy with other immune cells and components of the immune system to improve the treatment’s effectiveness.
- Identifying new antigens to re-engineer the T cells to target other cancer types.
- Breaking down the barriers presented by solid tumors to make this treatment effective for solid tumor cancers, which represent 80% of all cancers.
Cutting edge GMP Engineering & Cell Manufacturing Facility
Roswell Park houses New York State’s First Cell and Gene Therapy Hub.
Roswell Park has invested in the essential workspace needed to accommodate all this innovative research. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities are highly regulated and equipped to genetically reengineer human cells fit for use in medical treatment.
The comprehensive cancer center currently has six clean rooms and is constructing an entire floor of them to triple their capacity, set to open in 2025. Learn more at Roswellpark.org/GMP
BROADCASTMED