Top Scientists Cautious About Fighting Cancer With Immunotherapy
There’s been a lot of excitement about immunotherapy as a tool to treat cancer. But as leading experts gathered here on Sunday, several struck an unexpected note of caution.
“Be critical,” said Dr. Philip Greenberg of the University of Washington, who’s also scientific co-founder of Juno Therapeutics, one of the companies leading the search for immune-based treatments for cancer. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Although progress toward harnessing the immune system to attack tumors has been “enormous,” he said, his lab and many others are seeing in more and more studies — in lab mice as well as patients — that “immuno-oncology” will not be as simple as stimulating T cells to attack tumors.
“Be critical,” said Dr. Philip Greenberg of the University of Washington, who’s also scientific co-founder of Juno Therapeutics, one of the companies leading the search for immune-based treatments for cancer. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”
Although progress toward harnessing the immune system to attack tumors has been “enormous,” he said, his lab and many others are seeing in more and more studies — in lab mice as well as patients — that “immuno-oncology” will not be as simple as stimulating T cells to attack tumors.