Our Mission is to Harness the Power of the Immune System to Fight Cancer

Why is Cancer Difficult to Treat?

The Tumor Microenvironment - A Formidable Obstacle

The Tumor Microenvironment: A dense collection of various cells and biological factors

The tumor consists of a complex array of cells and factors, some of which promote the growth of the cancer and some try to fight the tumor.  Unfortunately, without treatment, the cells that help the tumor grow overshadow and dominate those cells that try to stop it resulting in cancer progression.  Research in the Center focuses on deciphering the complex interactions within the tumor microenvironment in order to design more effective therapies to treat cancer.

However, there is hope: A New Era for Cancer Therapy – Immunotherapy

What is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is an innovative approach to spark the body's own immune cells to recognize and destroy the tumor. Our Center researches a two-pronged strategy:

A T cell (bluish gray) attacking and killing a cancer cell (orange)

1. Target and eliminate the immune cells that promote cancer progression.

2. Stimulate the immune cells that fight cancer to elicit robust anti-tumor responses.