Top Moffitt Research Stories of 2024
As the only National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center based in Florida, Moffitt Cancer Center is a leader in research. Our innovative discoveries are rapidly translated into new standards of care to benefit cancer patients. Here are just a few reasons why our research is unparalleled.
TIL Therapy Approved for Metastatic Melanoma: A first-of-its-kind cellular immunotherapy pioneered at Moffitt now available for patients with advanced melanoma. It’s called TIL, short for tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy. The one-time T-cell therapy infusion uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight their cancer. It’s the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of a cell therapy for solid tumors.
FDA Approves New Gene Therapy for Synovial Sarcoma: A new, innovative gene therapy is now available for patients with metastatic synovial sarcoma, a rare cancer that forms in the body's soft tissues, such as muscles and ligaments. The FDA approved Tecelra (afamitresgene autoleucel), making it the first engineered T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy approved for a solid tumor. Tecelra, an autologous T-cell immunotherapy, uses a patient's own T cells, which are genetically modified to target the MAGE-A4 antigen in synovial sarcoma cells. Moffitt participated in the clinical trials, and the results have been promising.
Moffitt Develops First Individualized Predictive Model for Multiple Myeloma Treatment: Multiple myeloma remains challenging to treat. New therapeutic advances have improved outcomes, but selecting the right treatment for a patient can be complex because the disease can vary drastically from person to person. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Moffitt researchers in collaboration with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and groups around the world share results from a novel model that can provide tailored predictions of how individual patients respond to different therapies.
Moffitt Treats First Clinical Trial Patient with Gamma Delta CAR T for Bone Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Moffitt treated its first patient in an investigator-initiated, phase 1 clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy for prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone. Roughly 90% of men with advanced prostate cancer will develop bone metastases. The disease significantly impacts patients, causing extreme bone pain.
Moffitt Study Reveals Promising Combination Therapy for Bladder Cancer: Moffitt researchers discovered a new treatment combination that shows promise for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer who cannot receive standard-of-care cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The study, published in Nature Medicine, demonstrates that this innovative approach is both safe and efficacious.
Moffitt Initiates Groundbreaking Clinical Trial with Oncolytic Virus for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Moffitt launched a pioneering clinical trial for patients with late-stage non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed following initial frontline standard of care immunotherapy that includes an immune checkpoint inhibitor alone or combined with chemotherapy. The innovative trial uses a novel oncolytic virus, MEM-288, in combination with the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab.
Moffitt Researchers Develop New Chemical Method to Enhance Drug Discovery: Moffitt researchers have developed a novel reagent that enhances the precision of drug synthesis. This innovative method, published in Nature Communications, introduces a new sulfur fluoride exchange (SuFEx) reagent that allows for highly controlled production of crucial sulfur-based molecules, including sulfinamides, sulfonimidamides and sulfoximines.
