Stephanie Si Lim

A therapy that helps modify a patients T cells (a type of immune cell) to make them more capable of fighting cancer was recently brought to Hawaii by Stephanie Si Lim, assistant professor at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center and pediatric hematologist oncologist at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T-cell therapy) can result in the development of life-saving treatments for cancers that are difficult to treat.

Si Lim is leading the initiative at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Childrenpart of Hawaii Pacific Healthto build a broader cellular immunotherapy program. A key goal of the program is to introduce CAR T-cell therapy to the medical community in Hawaii in the form of clinical trials and U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved products. This will ensure that patients have access to the best available treatments for cancer.

CAR T-cell therapy is now available to children and young adults with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and will soon be available to adult patients.

The first CAR T-cell clinical trial opened on May 14, 2022, at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children, leveraging the infrastructure and expertise of the hospitals stem cell transplant and clinical research programs. Moving forward, all patients living in Hawaii, including the neighbor islands who qualify for this clinical trial, will be able to receive treatment on Oahu without having to travel to the continental U.S.

Si Lim said, We are so excited to be able to offer CAR T-cell therapy to our patients here in Hawaii. This is a momentous step for our medical community as we continue to strive to offer the best and most cutting-edge therapies to patients in need.

Currently, CAR T-cell therapy is proven to be particularly effective against B-cell malignancies and multiple myelomaboth common forms of cancer in adults and pediatric populations in Hawaii. Over the next few years, it is expected that new FDA-approved CAR T-cell treatments will also be available for other cancers in the state, including breast and prostate.

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Broadening access to cancer fighting therapy led by UH researcher | University of Hawaii System News - University of Hawaii