The Next Frontier in Cancer Treatment: Cell Therapy

Cellular therapeutics are surging, and The University of Kansas Cancer Center is leading the way

Cancer research is entering an exciting new chapter with the rapid development of cellular therapeutics – advanced treatments that harness the power of the body’s own cells to fight cancer. Pioneering institutions like The University of Kansas Cancer Center are at the forefront of this field, pushing the limits of what is possible. The cancer center’s new facility will accelerate these efforts, providing the infrastructure to develop and deliver next-generation therapies.

“We are on the verge of treatments that are changing the outlook for many cancer patients,” says Joseph McGuirk, DO, division director of the Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics program. Under his leadership, the cancer center is advancing the science and reach of these promising therapies.

What Are Cellular Therapeutics?

Cellular therapeutics are treatments where a patient’s or donor’s immune cells are engineered to fight cancer. The most well-known type is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which enhances the ability of T cells – key players in the immune system – to identify and destroy cancer cells. Since its first FDA approval in 2017, CAR T-cell therapy has changed the game for treating blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. 

 

In CAR T-cell therapy, a patient’s T cells are collected and genetically modified to produce special structures known as CARs. These CARs enable T cells to recognize cancer cells and mount a targeted attack. Once the modified cells are reinfused back into the patient, they seek out and eliminate the cancer cells. The University of Kansas Cancer Center has been a leader in this field, being the first site worldwide to enroll patients in a pivotal trial that led to the approval of KYMRIAH, one of the first CAR T-cell therapies.

The Challenge of Solid Tumors

While CAR T-cell therapy has transformed treatment of blood cancers, solid tumors – like those in the brain, lung and pancreas – present a different set of hurdles. Solid tumors are generally more complex and harder to treat with CAR T cells due, in part, to challenges of getting CAR T cells into tumors. Glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, is no exception.

David Akhavan, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Radiation Oncology, is tackling these obstacles head on. His team has joined forces with Stefan Bossmann, PhD, chair of Cancer Biology, to employ nanotechnology to improve delivery of CAR T cells into glioblastoma tumors. Two key challenges they face are T-cell exhaustion, where immune cells lose effectiveness over time, and the tumor’s hostile microenvironment, which blocks CAR T cells from reaching their target.

To combat these issues, the team has developed nanocarriers, tiny devices designed to extend the life of CAR T cells and control the release of cancer-fighting agents. This approach could keep the CAR T cells active for weeks, giving them more time to destroy the cancer.

Pushing Boundaries

Cancer center researchers are not stopping with the current CAR T-cell therapies. The Triple Threat CAR T-cell program targets three different cancer antigens simultaneously, a strategy aimed at preventing the cancer from outsmarting treatment.

Historically, CAR T cells were reprogrammed to focus on a single antigen on the surface of the cancer cells. Antigens are structures that act as beacons for reprogrammed immune cells to locate and destroy cancer cells. However, cancers are remarkably adaptable and can develop resistance by making this target antigen disappear, effectively hiding from the immune system. This antigen loss can result in the treatment not working, as the CAR T cells no longer can recognize the cancer.

But by targeting three antigens at once, the Triple Threat approach gives CAR T cells more ways to find and eliminate cancer. Dr. McGuirk, Sunil Abhyankar, MD, director of the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center, and Scott Weir, PharmD, PhD, director of the medical center’s Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation, are leading this program.

“The Triple Threat approach tackles this challenge head on,” Dr. Weir explains. “By hitting three targets, this therapy gives the CAR T cells a better chance of identifying and destroying the cancer, even if one antigen becomes undetectable.”

This effort is a collaboration between The University of Kansas Cancer Center, Children’s Mercy, the National Institutes of Health, Cardinal Health and Kansas City Analytical Services. In December 2024, the team received FDA clearance to initiate this first-in-human trial for adults with B-cell lymphoma.  The team also plans to launch a trial studying children and adolescents with B-cell lymphoma, ensuring this potential treatment is studied in lymphoma patients across the lifespan. 

CAR T-cell therapy is just the beginning. Cancer center researchers are exploring other cell-based treatments, such as natural killer (NK) cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), to expand options for both blood cancers and solid tumors.
 
In February 2024, the FDA approved lifileucel, the first therapy to use TILs, marking the first cellular therapy approved for solid tumors, specifically advanced melanoma. The University of Kansas Cancer Center was a study site for this landmark study.

Lifileucel is designed for patients whose melanoma has progressed despite prior treatments with immunotherapy or targeted therapies. TIL therapy extracts and expands T cells directly from the patient’s tumor. Unlike CARs, they are not genetically modified. This is critical because TILs are already primed to recognize the cancer’s unique markers, potentially making them more effective in targeting cancer cells. 

“We are just scratching the surface when it comes to using TIL therapy to treat cancer,” Dr. McGuirk says. “Right now, researchers are actively working in the lab to engineer more effective TILs.”

Leaders in the Field

The University of Kansas Cancer Center has established itself as a leader in cellular therapeutics, thanks to a collaborative environment that brings experts together across institutions and specialties. In 2013, the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center was established with support from the state of Kansas.

“The Midwest Stem Cell Therapy Center plays a critical role in manufacturing cell and gene therapy products,” explains Dr. Abhyankar.

Another crucial initiative is the Immune Effector Cell Therapy Working Group. Also led by Drs. Abhyankar, McGuirk and Weir, this group convenes researchers across divisions, campuses and partner institutions like the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Children’s Mercy. 

"We're bringing researchers together in a forum where they can present their work, brainstorm and collaborate,” Dr. Weir says. “It’s a catalyst for moving high-potential projects forward, pooling our resources to accelerate research and bring new therapies to patients.”

What’s Next

From pioneering CAR T-cell innovations to exploring new cellular therapies like NK cells and TILs, cancer center researchers are continuously pushing boundaries to create more effective, personalized cancer treatments.

“As we continue to unlock the potential of cellular therapeutics, we’re moving closer to a future where cancer can be better managed or even cured,” Dr. McGuirk says. “Our team is dedicated to making that vision a reality, one breakthrough at a time.”