Exploring Cost-effective Immunotherapy Treatments
Edmonton researcher Dr. Michael Chu aims to bring CAR T-cell clinical trials to Alberta
Dr. Michael Chu is convinced immunotherapy is a game-changing treatment in the stand against cancer, and he sees the potential for this type of medicine as nearly limitless."For decades we've been relying on surgery, chemo, and radiation, [but] immunotherapy has really changed how we look at oncology. We can now target the actual cancer cells directly through this treatment," says Chu, a clinician and researcher at the University of Alberta's (U of A) department of oncology. "It's changed melanoma from an entirely palliative disease to something where about 50 to 60 per cent of patients are cured of it."
Chu, 34, is a born-and-raised Edmontonian who did his medical training at the U of A. Four years ago, his career focus shifted to immunotherapy after a combined clinical and research fellowship at Stanford University in California. Now a member of the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA), and currently practicing at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Chu is leading the development of a clinical trial to manufacture CAR T-cells in Alberta to treat leukemia and lymphoma.
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