Cell therapy developed in Brazil is highlight at international oncology symposium

The ‘Best Oral Presentation’ award at an event promoted by the Hospital de Amor in Barretos (São Paulo state) was given to doctoral student Mariane Tirapelle, who is part of the Cell Therapy Center and the Nucleus of Cellular Therapy teams.

Agência FAPESP – Doctoral student Mariane Cariati Tirapelle, of the Ribeirão Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), received the “Best Oral Presentation” award at the ninth edition of the International Symposium on Translation Oncology, promoted by the Hospital de Amor (formerly known as the Barretos Cancer Hospital) in September 2024.

The event brought together nationally and internationally renowned researchers who are developing initiatives in various areas of oncology.

Tirapelle was awarded the prize for her work “Evaluation of the therapeutic efficacy of anti-GD2 CAR NK cells with GITRL expression in in vitro and in vivo models of tumors of neuroectodermal origin,” supervised by Professor Virgínia Picanço e Castro, of the FMRP-USP. The work is part of a Ph.D. project carried out within the Nucleus of Cellular Therapy (Nutera), a FAPESP Science Center for Development (SCD).

CAR NK cells – natural killer (NK) cells modified to fight cancer – have shown important anti-tumor responses (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/49987, agencia.fapesp.br/39048 and agencia.fapesp.br/31675). The treatment was developed at the Cell Therapy Center (CTC), a FAPESP Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center (RIDC) based at the FMRP-USP.

However, improvements in development are still needed to achieve permanent results. The study proposes the use of a fourth-generation CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) that can enhance cell therapy. The goal is to provide a safer approach to cancer treatment with fewer side effects.

More details about the research are available on the Ribeirão Preto Blood Center’s YouTube channel.