Funded by the Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Fund
Osteosarcoma (OS) is a cancer of the bones that affects up to 500 children, teens, and young adults each year. While current therapies are effective for many patients, patients that have multiple tumors or have tumors that do not respond to chemotherapy have poor outcomes. CAR T cells are a therapy that uses the immune system to fight cancer. CAR T cells have been successful in patients with blood cancers that no longer respond to chemotherapy but CAR T cells have had limited success in solid tumors. My lab has developed a new form of CAR T cells that are more potent and last longer in the body. This project will explore whether our new CAR T cells can work against OS. OS is a common cancer in dogs and OS in dogs is very similar to OS in children. The Flint Animal Cancer Center is internationally recognized for running cutting edge clinical trials for dogs with cancer. This project will test our new CAR T cells in pet dogs that have OS and are in need of advanced therapies. Since OS is very similar between dogs and children, making a therapy that is effective in dogs will produce valuable data for developing a clinical trial for children with untreatable OS.
