Media Releases and Opportunities
» Go to news mainMedia opportunity: Dalhousie University researcher pioneers new cancer treatment ‑‑ cutting‑edge CAR‑T cell therapy
Dr. Mahmoud Elsawy, a leading researcher and clinician at Dalhousie University, has successfully treated 30 patients with revolutionary CAR-T cell therapy, resulting in many of them now being in remission and showcasing the incredible potential of this innovative treatment.
CAR-T cell therapy is a groundbreaking form of immunotherapy that leverages the body's own immune system to fight cancer. This highly personalized treatment involves:
* Collecting and genetically modifying a patient's T cells
* Re-engineering these cells in a lab to recognize and attack specific cancer cells
* Infusing the modified cells back into the patient, allowing them to continuously target and destroy cancerous cells
Currently, CAR-T cell therapy is being used for difficult-to-treat blood cancers, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other lymphomas and leukemias. However, its potential extends far beyond, promising hope for the treatment of solid tumours in the future.
Dr. Elsawy's work is setting the stage for a transformation in how cancer is treated, especially once the new GMP BioLabs East facility becomes operational, enabling local re-engineering of T cells and making this life-saving therapy more accessible and cost-effective.
Dr. Elsawy will be presenting his work in CAR-T cell therapy at an upcoming event hosted by Dalhousie's Faculty of Medicine -- Breakthrough Breakfast: Pioneering Possibilities in Cancer Research on June 18, 2024, at 7:30 a.m., at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
Other speakers presenting at the Breakthrough Breakfast are Dr. Jeanette Boudreau and Dr. Robin Urquhart, both doing their own groundbreaking cancer research here in the Maritimes.
Dr. Elsawy is available for interviews in the afternoon of June 12 and the morning of June 13, 2024.
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Media contact:
Dayna Park
Advancement Communications, Faculty of Medicine
Dalhousie University
Cell: 902-266-3930
Email: Dayna.park@dal.ca
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