Prof Robert Hawkins

Cancer and research avatar

Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Department of Medical Oncology
University of Manchester and Christie Hospital NHS Trust
Manchester

Harnessing the power of the immune system to fight cancer

Robert Hawkins is Cancer Research UK Professor and Director of Medical Oncology at the University of Manchester and Christie Hospital. His research focuses on the development of new immunotherapies - novel treatments that aim to use the specificity and power of the body's own immune system to target and destroy cancer cells.

When cancer develops, our immune system attempts to mount an attack against the tumour. But this response is usually very weak and often ineffective. Researchers are investigating many different ways to trick the immune system into destroying tumours as an exciting new approach to cancer treatment.

Professor Hawkins and his team are focusing on one particular type of immune cells known as T cells. They have shown in the lab that it is possible to artificially re-programme T cells so that they recognise and attack cancer cells.

Professor Hawkins is now carrying out an early-stage clinical trial to test this new treatment in a small number of people. T cells collected from each patient are being re-programmed to produce a receptor that can stick to a molecule called CEA found on the surface of several different types of cancer cell particularly tumours of the gut and bowel. The team are studying how well the modified T cells survive once they are introduced back into the patient to monitor the feasibility of this approach.

Lab studies suggest that this method can be used to target a range of other cancers and a second clinical trial is exploring the use of this treatment for people with B-cell lymphoma.

As it is still early days for T cell therapy, the scientists are also looking for ways to improve it. For example, they are investigating how to grow T cells successfully outside the body as well as developing ways to encourage T cells to accumulate at the tumour site.

Professor Hawkins is working with many other researchers from across the world so that in the future, T cell therapy may become an effective cancer treatment.

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