Funded in partnership with Cannonball Kids cancer Foundation, in memory of Tyler Trent
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and devastating brain tumor, and it currently has no known cure. Less than 20% of young adults diagnosed with GBM survive more than 24 months. GBM can resist treatment in many ways. These include expressing an enzyme called CD73 and changing the expression of proteins on its surface. Natural killer cells are able to fight and kill GBM, however this ability is often blocked around growing GBM cells. In order to rescue the activity of these cells, we are developing new immunotherapies by genetically modifying natural killer cells to shut down ways that GBM uses to grow. We are also combining these cells with drugs that can help them travel deeper into tumors. This immunotherapy is an entirely new way to treat GBM and has significant promise, for patients, over traditional treatments.
