M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

Dr. Cooper's innovative research is focusing on developing a novel immunotherapy which kills leukemia and lymphoma cells by boosting a patient's own immune attack. Leukemia and lymphoma are two leading cancer types in American population, each estimated to kill more than 20,000 people in 2011 alone, including children under 15.

T cells are the main immune cells that a human body relies on for detecting and destroying abnormal cells that may become cancerous. But our surveillance system does not always work well - it often fails to fully detect the danger because cancer cells can hide from T cells and escape their attack.

Immunotherapy: genetically engineering patients' own immune cells

Dr. Cooper and his team of researchers have developed a new immunotherapy that enhances our immune system. They are now able to modify the T cells collected from a leukemia or lymphoma patient, and enable them to "see" the tumor cells. This is done by employing a smart, genetic engineering technique that makes the T cells carry a "cellular antenna" (chimeric antigen receptor) or CAR, which specifically detects a molecule called CD19 found on tumor cell surface of several types of leukemia and lymphoma, including Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), and Lymphomas of the B-lineage. Once infused back to the same patient, these fully-equipped CAR-T cells can then mount full blown immune attack on the tumor cells.

Recent Breakthrough: bench to bedside

NFCR has been supporting Dr. Cooper's highly promising research since 2004. During the past two years. Recently, NFCR funding has helped Dr. Cooper to successfully implement a "first-in-human" clinical trial that successfully evaluating evaluated the safety and feasibility of this novel immunotherapy in patients with CD19+ lymphoma. As a physician and scientist, Dr. Cooper recognized the engineered T cells could have enhanced killing power. With continued NFCR seed funding, his team at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center forged ahead and developed a more powerful CAR and an efficient and less expensive way to make CAR T cells. A 2nd clinical trial has begun to boost patients' immune system with the empowered CAR T cells after their bone marrow transplant or autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HCST). In addition, Dr. Cooper has developed an approach to make the engineered CAR T cells seek out the cancer cells in tissues that are less oxygenated - a characteristic of cancerous tissues. Preliminary laboratory results are very encouraging. The field of adoptive immunotherapy is staying tuned for the use of this unique method that will treat patients in a new clinical trial.

Taking New Challenge: how to make it work better?

Moving the research into the frontier, Dr. Cooper's team has recently published their laboratory results demonstrating a novel, high throughput device that rapidly makes large numbers of CAR T cells. Although still early in its development, Dr. Cooper predicts the CAR T cells made with their innovative device will have vast implications for a faster and safer method to redirect patient immune cells. To make this immunotherapy more useful in the clinic, Dr. Cooper is now developing technology that allows quick and cost-effective manufacturing of the therapeutic immune cells. This is a crucial step in moving this novel therapy into clinical applications and bringing significant benefits to leukemia and lymphoma patients. With Dr. Cooper's technology, tumor-fighting T cells can be modified and infused within hours of need, providing hope to these patients to fight their cancer.

Dr. Cooper's research and series of clinical trials are impacting and advancing the clinical application of CAR-based technology for adoptive immunotherapy that is helping children and adult patients, fight their cancer.