{"id":468,"date":"2024-12-18T11:23:07","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T10:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/projects\/die-immuntherapie-von-morgen\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T16:29:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T15:29:05","slug":"tomorrows-immunotherapy","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/projects\/tomorrows-immunotherapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Tomorrow\u2019s immunotherapy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tomorrow\u2019s immunotherapy<\/h3><\/div>

Researchers at University Hospital Zurich are working to develop the next level of immunotherapy. They want to modify macrophages \u2013 the immune system\u2019s scavengers \u2013 to attack cancer cells.<\/p>\n<\/div>

I would like more information \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\u201cWe want to turn the macrophages from the problem into the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Few types of human cells can be so vividly described as macrophages. Our immune system\u2019s \u201cscavenger\u201d cells are reminiscent of Pac-Man, the figure that used to munch its way through the dots in the 1980s computer game. Similar to the way the game character rushes through the maze, macrophages make their way unswervingly through our blood vessels and tissues, swallowing up anything that could endanger us \u2013 for example bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. They enclose the foreign bodies before digesting and destroying them.<\/p>\n

But there is a problem when it comes to eliminating cancer cells: they are able to reprogram the macrophages and harness them for their own use. Suddenly, the macrophages are helping tumors grow, making it easier for metastases to form, and preventing other immune cells from doing their job.<\/p>\n

Professor Roberto Speck and Dr. Simon Bredl at the Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology at University Hospital Zurich want to put a stop to this disastrous turn of events. In the course of their research they have come across immune system mechanisms that could also play a key role in treating cancer. \u201cOur vision is to turn the macrophages from the problem into the solution,\u201d Roberto Speck and Simon Bredl explain. To do this the researchers intend to isolate macrophages from the patient\u2019s blood, genetically modify them and then reintroduce them by infusion. Back in the body, they would infiltrate the tumor and destroy its defensive wall, allowing more immune cells to penetrate and join forces with the macrophages to destroy the tumor cells.<\/p>\n

This multi-year research project is being funded by various donations to the USZ Foundation. If it succeeds, it will mark the next level of immunotherapy. While the immunotherapies available to date, working on the basis of T-cells, get gratifying results with forms of cancer such as leukemia and melanoma, this kind of treatment shows little success when used on other types of cancer, so-called solid tumors.<\/p>\n

What T-cells aren\u2019t managing may be possible for the genetically modified macrophages that are currently being developed and tested at University Hospital Zurich. If the scavenger cells can in the future destroy tumor cells just as diligently as Pac-Man swallows up the dots, it will be a great source of hope for people with cancer.<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/span>
\n Project management<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/span>
Prof. Dr. Roberto Speck<\/div>

Attending Physician<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology
\nUniversity Hospital Zurich<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span>
Dr. Simon Bredl<\/div>

Academic Associate<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Department of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology
\nUniversity Hospital Zurich<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/span>
\nCollaboration<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>

Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich
\nUniversity Hospital Zurich<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/span>
\nSupporting partner<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>

Gebauer Stiftung<\/p>\n

Lotte und Adolf Hotz Sprenger-Stiftung<\/p>\n

Claudia von Schilling Foundation for Breast Cancer Research<\/p>\n

OPO-Stiftung<\/p>\n

Stiftung zur Krebsbek\u00e4mpfung<\/p>\n

Novartis Stiftung f\u00fcr medizinisch-biologische Forschung<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/span>
\nContact<\/span>
\n <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>
\"Portr\u00e4t<\/span>
Sandra Hagmann<\/div>

Philanthropy | Foundations<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

+41 43 254 55 00
\nsandra.hagmann@usz-foundation.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":339,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"100-width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-468","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=468"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/468\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1157,"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/468\/revisions\/1157"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usz-foundation.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}