Dr’s team Simon Turcotte, researcher at the Institute, obtained a first grant from $ 675,000 from the granting body BioCanRx and a second grant of $ 1,800,000 from US biotech Iovance Biotherapeutics </ i> . To this is added financial support of nearly $ 1M from the Montreal Cancer Institute, as part of this major project carried out in collaboration with the CRCHUM and the CHUM.
Dr. Turcotte’s team wants to improve the effectiveness and simplify immunotherapy to treat skin cancer and other types of cancer. Rather than giving indiscriminate patients all the T cells that infiltrate their tumors, the most combative T cells will be selected using a cell sorter acquired in 2018 and funded by the Institute. This state-of-the-art device uses a closed system that keeps cells sterile and thus ensures the safety of patients who will receive the transfusion. This method shortens the production time of a transfusion enriched with “anti-cancer soldiers”. A great step forward for patients with metastatic skin cancer who no longer respond to standard treatments and who are looking for valid alternatives.
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