UCLH is to have Europe’s first dedicated cellular immunotherapy research and treatment centre.
The centre, made possible by £1.6m generously gifted by the Exilarch’s Foundation, will build on the world-renowned expertise and ground-breaking advances already made at UCLH to pioneer a radical change in how cancer is treated. The centre, which will be called the ‘Sir Naim Dangoor Centre for Cellular Immunotherapy’, will feature an eight-bedded unit within UCLH’s new surgery and cancer building due to open in 2020.
Professor Karl Peggs, who will be the first Clinical and Scientific Director of the Centre, said: “The immune system provides a powerful inbuilt natural defence which recognises and removes some harmful cells from our bodies, but it finds it difficult to eliminate cancer cells, partly because cancers can subvert and undermine these systems. Immunotherapy clinical trials are looking for ways to teach the immune system how to recognise and kill these cancer cells more efficiently, providing a more effective way of treating cancer. Cellular immunotherapy involves taking live cells from the body, in many cases then genetically engineering them to kill cancer cells before re-infusing them.”
He continued: “While clinical translation of cellular immunotherapy research into blood cancers has already shown positive outcomes, more research is desperately needed. We anticipate that through this research, treatment for other types of cancer – such as skin, ovarian, liver and lung cancers – will be developed, meaning greater cancer survival rates. It is a very exciting development that could be a game changer for the treatment of cancer.”
The Exilarch’s Foundation was set up by Sir Naim Dangoor in 1980 and is now run by his four sons, David, Michael, Robert and Elie. Michael Dangoor, who worked closely with UCLH to develop this project said: “My brothers and I felt with this investment UCLH could fast track research into cellular immunotherapies and by establishing this centre in our late father’s honour, it is close to our hearts.”
“We hope the answers the research discovers will improve treatment and outcomes for patients with cancer in the years to come and this will be a fitting tribute to our father’s memory,” added David Dangoor.
