“I receive messages almost every day from people with brain tumors who have no further treatment options.” Accordingly, the motivation for research is very strong for Prof. Gregor Hutter of the Department of Neurosurgery at University Hospital Basel: “In the era of molecular precision medicine, I hope that, together with my team, we can use this approach to significantly improve the lives of those affected.”
Malignant brain tumors change the lives of patients and their loved ones from one day to the next. Yet despite intensive research, the prognosis for conditions such as glioblastoma and brain metastases has improved only marginally over the past 20 years. This is precisely where Hutter and his team’s work comes in. Their goal is to develop new therapeutic approaches that will sustainably improve treatment options for patients.
The Immune System as an Ally
Immunotherapy is at the heart of Hutter’s research. This approach harnesses the body’s own immune defenses and specifically directs them against cancer cells. While this form of treatment has already achieved major successes in some types of cancer, decisive breakthroughs in brain tumors have so far remained elusive.
Hutter and his team are therefore pursuing a novel approach: specially modified T cells are intended not only to attack tumor cells, but also to activate so-called macrophages—the “scavenger cells” of the immune system—within the tumor. “With this dual effect, we hope to achieve a significantly stronger effect than with existing approaches,” the researcher explains.
Rapid Progress for Greater Hope
Over the past few years, the therapy has been developed in his laboratory. It will now be used for the first time in a clinical trial involving patients with glioblastoma for whom all other treatment options have been exhausted. The immune cells are obtained from the patients’ blood, genetically modified in an exceptionally clean and strictly controlled environment, and then introduced directly into the brain tumor through a minor neurosurgical procedure.
Initially, the focus will be on the safety of the treatment, and later on its effectiveness. For Hutter, one thing is clear: “There is an urgent need for new therapies for malignant brain tumors.” His hope for the future is that promising innovations will reach patients more quickly. “This is how we can translate scientific progress more rapidly into better treatment options and hope.”
This project is supported by Swiss Cancer Research in collaboration with funding foundations. We would like to specifically mention the Isaac Dreyfus-Bernheim Foundation, the Anne und Peter Casari-Stierlin Foundation, the Scheidegger Thommen Foundation and the Barbara Spengler Foundation.
Project number: KFS-5789-02-2023