Biologic Therapy Program
The Biologic Therapy Program focuses on the treatment of advanced melanoma and kidney cancer. Our Bilogic Therapy Program specialists, including Drs. David McDermott, Daniel Cho, James Mier, Rupal Bhatt and Elizabeth Buchbinder investigate and use biologic agents, such as cytokines and vaccines to treat patients with advanced melanoma and kidney cancer.
Their pivotal efforts have helped develop standard approaches to these cancers. Clinicians see 200 new patients a year, offer more than 20 open research protocols, and enroll 150 plus patients annually in research studies. Specialized areas of research and treatment include:
- Interleukin-2 based therapy
- Vaccines, cytokines, and other immunotherapies
- Angiogenesis and signal transduction inhibitors
- Pro-apoptotic agents to promote programmed cell death
Research study grants from NIH, foundations and undustry support this groundbreaking work, as do two National Cancer Iinstitute (NCI)-sponsored SPORE grants in skin and kidney cancer as a member of the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center DF/HCC.
Patients with melanoma and kidney cancer who require surgical care are treated in our Cutaneous Oncology and Renal Tumor Programs.
Our Biologic Therapy Program is Internationally recognized for contributions to the biologic treatment of cancer using cytokines (IL-2,1 FN), targeted immuno-therapy (CTLA4 and PD1 antibodies), vaccines, and other novel agents.
