Human Health
Molecular & Cellular Immunology Core (MCIC)
B18BCN- Project Leaders: Brad Nelson
- Institutions: University of British Columbia (UBC)
- Budget: $842916
- Program/Competition: Partner Programs
- Genome Centre(s): Genome British Columbia
- Fiscal Year: 2016
- Status: Closed
The BCCA's Cancer Immunotherapy Program aims to use genomic and related technologies to develop precise and potent immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer. To this end, the team is developing a Phase I clinical trials program focused on adoptive T cell transfer. T cell products will be produced in a GMP-grade clean room under construction in Victoria, and T cell infusions will take place in the BCCA’s bone marrow transplant unit in Vancouver. The first two trials will focus on advanced ovarian and cervical cancer and are expected to launch in early 2017.
To support these trials as well as those within the BioCanRx network, the Cancer Immunotherapy Program is establishing two independent yet complementary immune monitoring cores. The Immuno Genomics Core in Vancouver, which is lead by Dr. Rob Holt, focuses on genomics-based immune profiling technologies, including tumor genome and transcriptome sequencing, and TCR/BCR sequencing. The Molecular & Cellular Immunology Core (MCIC) in Victoria is lead by Dr. Brad Nelson and specializes in molecular pathology, flow cytometry, and in vitro assays of lymphocyte antigen specificity and functional properties.
