Immunotherapy of Cancer

Professor, Dept of Human & Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA; Associate Director, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine, Virginia, USA. The Wang laboratory has a long-standing interest in understanding stress response and stress sensing molecules in regulation of inflammation, host immunity, and the pathogenesis of diseases, including cancer. Paul B. Fisher, MPh, PhD, FNAI, Professor and Chairman, Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Director, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine Thelma Newmeyer Corman Chair in Cancer Research in the VCU Massey Cancer Center, VCU, School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, and Emeritus Professor, Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY. Dr. Fisher is among the top 10% of NIH funded investigators over the past 35-years, published approximately 625 papers and reviews, and has 55 issued patents. He pioneered novel gene/discovery approaches (subtraction hybridization), developed innovative therapeutic approaches (Cancer Terminator Viruses), presented numerous named and distinguished lectures, founded several start-up companies, was Virginia Outstanding Scientist of 2014 and elected to the National Academy of Inventors in 2018. Dr. Fisher is a prominent nationally and internationally recognized cancer research scientist focusing on understanding the molecular and biochemical basis of cancer development and progression to metastasis and using this garnered information to develop innovative approaches for diagnosing and treating cancer. He discovered and patented novel genes and gene promoters relevant to cancer growth control, differentiation and apoptosis. His discoveries include the first cloning of p21 (CDK inhibitor), human polynucleotide phosphorylase, mda-9/syntenin (a pro-metastatic gene), mda-5 and mda-7/IL-24, which has shown promising clinical activity in Phase I/II clinical trials in patients with advanced cancers. Dr. Fisher alsohas a documented track record as a successful seasoned entrepreneur. He was Founder and Director of GenQuest Incorporated, a functional genomics company, which merged with Corixa Corporation in 1998, traded on NASDAQ and was acquired by GlaxoSmithKline in 2006. He discovered the cancer-specific PEG-Prom, which is the core technology of Cancer Targeting Systems (CTS, Inc.), a Virginia/Maryland-based company (at Johns Hopkins Medical Center) focusing on imaging and therapy (“theranostics”) of metastatic cancer (2014) by Drs. Fisher and Martin G. Pomper. He co-founded InVaMet Therapeutics (IVMT) and InterLeukin Combinatorial Therapies (ILCT) with Dr. Webster K. Cavenee (UCSD) (2017/2018).

1. The New Era of Cancer Immunotherapy: Manipulating T-Cell Activity to Overcome MalignancyDanny N. Khalil, Sadna BudhuhD, Billel Gasmi, Roberta Zappasodi, Daniel Hirschhorn-Cymerman, Tamar Plitt, Olivier De Henau, Dmitriy Zamarin, Rikke B. Holmgaard, Judith T. Murphy, Jedd D. Wolchok and Taha Merghoub2. Immune Targeting of Tumor Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Via Brachyury-Based VaccinesClaudia Palena and Duane H. Hamilton3. Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells: Critical Cells Driving Immune Suppression in the Tumor MicroenvironmentKatherine H. Parker , Daniel W. Beury and Suzanne Ostrand Rosenberg4. Phagocytes as Corrupted Policemen in Cancer-Related InflammationEduardo Bonavita, Maria Rosaria Galdiero, Sebastien Jaillon and Alberto Mantovani5. Tumor-Elicited Inflammation and Colorectal CancerKepeng Wang and Michael Karin6. Therapeutic Lymphoid Organogenesis in the Tumor MicroenvironmentAliyah M. Weinstein and Walter J. Storkus7. The Tumor Macroenvironment: Cancer-Promoting Networks Beyond Tumor BedsMelanie R. Rutkowski, Nikolaos Svoronos, Alfredo Perales Puchalt and Jose R. Conejo-Garcia8. Control of CD8 T-cell Infiltration into Tumors by Vasculature and MicroenvironmentJ. David Peske, Amber B. Woods, and Victor H. Engelhard9. Scavenger Receptors: Emerging Roles in Cancer Biology and ImmunologyXiaofei Yu, Chunqing Guo, Paul B. Fisher, John R. Subjeck and Xiang-Yang Wang