Advancing Gene and Cell Therapies for Brain Cancer

Brain cancer is one of the deadliest and most difficult-to-treat cancers. Surgery is difficult due to the sensitivity of the brain, and chemotherapy and radiation have limited effectiveness, in addition to a long list of side effects.

For this reason, many cancer experts, patients, caregivers and more are researching and learning more about cell and gene therapy for brain cancer. This novel type of cancer treatment harnesses the power of our own immune system to fight cancer naturally with less harm to healthy tissue than chemotherapy and radiation.

As May is Brain Cancer Awareness Month, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) is spending the month raising awareness of the potential of the human immune system when combined with cell and gene therapy to defeat brain tumors. Scientists can make genetic changes to our immune system to help it find and fight brain cancer cells – creating a “living medicine” that not only can wipe out cancer but also prevent it from returning.

This type of treatment is already FDA-approved for several blood cancers, such as lymphoma and leukemia, and it’s in testing for several types of solid tumors.

In 2001, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) was founded as one of the first and only nonprofit organizations committed to pursuing advancements in cancer cell and gene therapy. Over the past 2-plus decades, ACGT has awarded 67 research grants totaling $34.2 million to 63 of the brightest scientists.

The foundation is committed to advancing brain cancer research involving cell and gene therapies by funding scientists who are trying to develop cures for this cancer. Even in the past few years, there has been major progress in developing therapies for brain tumors.

Read more about ACGT’s efforts to cure brain cancer on the foundation’s website.