NEW YORK – The University of California, Los Angeles, and the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) have renewed a partnership to advance cancer immunotherapy research for difficult-to-treat cancers.
The groups originally established their collaboration in 2016, supported by a $250 million gift from philanthropist Sean Parker. In July, PICI invested another $125 million to expand immuno-oncology research within the PICI Network, a consortium of US and European academic research institutions that includes UCLA, City of Hope, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Basel, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and others. Researchers in this network have conducted more than 460 research projects and clinical trials to date.
With support from PICI, UCLA researchers are developing CAR T-cell therapies for blood cancers and solid tumors in partnership with other consortium members. In a clinical trial conducted by UCLA researchers of a CD19- and CD20-targeted CAR T-cell therapy in patients with B-cell lymphoma and leukemia, 10 out of 11 patients responded and eight patients had a complete response.
UCLA is also evaluating a CAR T-cell therapy in solid tumors, including melanoma, thyroid cancer, and certain rare tumor types that express IL13Ra2.
"This renewed partnership isn't just about funding — it's about rapidly translating the pipeline of innovative science to lifesaving treatments for patients, setting a new pace for the entire field of cancer immunotherapy," Shane Corcoran, senior VP of strategy and operations at PICI, said in a statement.
PICI has also partnered with biotech companies to advance cancer immunotherapy research, including with Nomic Bio in September and BostonGene in April.