Boosting Immune Defenses Against Cancer On June 25, 2013, Philip D. Greenberg, MD, a professor of Medicine (Oncology) and Immunology, in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center at the University of Washington, described his groundbreaking research on the immunobiology of host T cell responses to infectious viruses and transformed (cancerous or pre-cancerous) cells. Dr. Greenberg’s laboratory is involved in studies elucidating the immunobiology of host T cell responses to infectious viruses and transformed cells. Analysis of T cell responses to pathogenic viral infections and tumors has demonstrated that reactive T cells are often rendered anergic or dysfunctional as a consequence of encounter with the antigen, and the basis for these defects are being explored and molecular strategies to restore and augment T cell function via genetic modification of T cells with vectors expressing novel proteins, dominant negative proteins, or RNAi are being evaluated. Among his notable contributions to the field is his ongoing work to create effective immunotherapies using the adoptive transfer approach, in which populations of T cells that selectively recognize targets found in cancer cells are expanded and reintroduced to the cancer patient. This approach has seen recent successes and is one of the ways scientists hope to unleash the body's natural immune defenses against cancer. Dr. Greenberg is a member of the CRI Scientific Advisory Council. In 2011, he received the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology for his contributions to adoptive T cell therapy. This webinar is part of the Cancer Research Institute's webinar series, "Cancer Immunotherapy and You," which are offered free to the public and feature informative updates for patients and caregivers from leaders in cancer immunotherapy, followed by a Q&A. For more information on this webinar, or to register for upcoming webinars, please visit www.cancerresearch.org/webinars. Read more: Post navigation Immunotherapy for Lung Cancer Read Story Multiple Myeloma Immunotherapy: Where Are We? Read Story