Together, we are Igniting Cancer Breakthroughs!
Roswell Park is entering a new chapter of therapeutic development to bring unique treatments to patients faster and speed up the timeline of new therapies. This will ultimately bring hope to countless people facing a cancer diagnosis.
With top talent, ambitious leadership and a generous community of supporters, Roswell Park is poised to become a destination for world-class, next-generation cell therapy and immunotherapy treatments.
The Roswell Park Alliance Foundation is paving the way to make that possible!
Cell therapy uses cells, sometimes gene-engineered, to work with a patient’s immune system. The manufacturing of those cells needs to happen in a sophisticated, dedicated facility that is built exactly for that specific purpose.
Cell therapy is already saving lives
The experts at Roswell Park want to bring more gene and cell therapy treatments, like the ones that saved Chasity and Chris, to fruition for other patients who need it.
Chasity was about six weeks old when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. Now, thanks to forward-thinking doctors and CAR T-cell therapy available at Roswell Park, Chasity is a thriving six-year-old girl.
Fourteen years after he was first diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma, 70-year-old Chris knew his cancer could return. Even though he underwent several rounds and types of treatments, including a stem cell transplant, his cancer returned twice. CAR T-cell therapy put Chris Vogelsang’s lymphoma into remission.
Phase 1: Cell Production at Roswell Park
In 2024, Roswell Park opened 14 new state-of-the-art clean rooms as part of the new Roswell Park GMP Engineering & Cell Manufacturing (GEM) Facility. The new clean rooms, paired with four pre-existing clean rooms, position Roswell Park as a global leader in the field of cell and gene therapy.
This historic grand opening was made possible by a $30 million investment from Empire State Development and $20 million raised by generous donors to phase 1 of the Igniting Cancer Breakthroughs Campaign.
Phase 2: Clinical Trials
Current cell therapy clinical trials are seeing an improvement in survival rates for patients with blood cancers. With those achievements in mind, Roswell Park researchers are now shifting focus to using recent discoveries to study CAR T-cell therapy, a type of cell therapy, on solid tumors.
Using CAR T-cells to treat solid tumors remains challenging, because many patients either do not respond or their cancer returns after treatment. Researchers are now working to improve CAR T-cell design to help them work better and last longer in the body.
Four clinical trials for solid tumor cancers are in very early stages thanks to donor support:
Small cell lung and prostate cancer
Led by Drs. Renier Brentjens and Edwin Yau, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Oncology.
This study will test new CAR T-cells in patients with chemotherapy-resistant small cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine prostate cancer, which can have prognoses of only months.
Adult and pediatric sarcoma
Led by Drs. Brentjens, Ajay Gupta, MD, MS and Joyce Ohm, PhD.
Treatment options for cancer patients with bone sarcomas are limited, and the prognosis is poor. This study involves a novel dual-armored, dual-targeted strategy to overcome limitations in the use of CAR T-cell therapy for adult and pediatric sarcoma patients.
Pancreatic cancer
Led by Drs. Brentjens, Anu Krishnamurthy and Leonid Cherkassky.
This trial will combine targeting of both pancreatic tumor cells and cancer-supporting cells called fibroblasts which prevent optimal T-cell function against tumor cells.
Ovarian cancer
Led by Drs. Marco Davila and Emese Zsiros.
This trial is testing a new form of cell therapy for patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, which has no cure and minimal treatment options.
