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Appointment Information
RESEARCH PLATFORM FOR
THE MOON SHOTS PROGRAM
The Oncology Research for Biologics and Immunotherapy Translation (ORBIT) platform is driving the future of therapeutic antibodies that can attack cancer cells or trigger an immune response, enabling the body’s own immune system to attack the cancer. ORBIT is part of MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division, a unique group of clinicians, researchers and drug development experts working collaboratively to develop the next generation of targeted, immune- and cell-based therapies.
The ORBIT platform is the engine for biologics discovery and development within MD Anderson, working to design impactful new therapies based on patient needs. As part of the Therapeutics Discovery team, ORBIT works closely with the Moon Shots® and platforms to accelerate the process of therapeutic antibody development, taking advantage of MD Anderson’s wealth of clinical and research expertise together with an unparalleled proximity to the clinic.
Tim Heffernan, Ph.D.
Executive Director and Head, Oncology Research
Jeffrey Molldrem, M.D.
Professor and Chair ad interim, Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy; Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
An urgent need remains to discover new therapeutic targets and to develop antibody-based strategies to attack cancer cells or trigger an immune response against the tumor. As an industrialized engine for biologics development based within the nation’s leading cancer center, ORBIT and the Therapeutics Discovery team are working with greater agility to avoid the traditional barriers that impede therapeutic antibodies.
ORBIT has assembled a team of highly skilled professionals committed to bringing new therapies forward to the patients that need them. By working within MD Anderson, ORBIT scientists are able to collaborate with innovative academic researchers and leading physicians to work with the bench at the bedside.
With this approach, discoveries can progress more rapidly from the lab to the clinic. The ORBIT team is working tirelessly to advance a robust portfolio of therapeutic candidates toward clinical trials, with the mission of delivering new medicines to patients quickly, safely and effectively.
A first-in-class therapeutic antibody was advanced by ORBIT into Phase I clinical trials for patients with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Learn moreMD Anderson and Xencor announced a strategic research collaboration and commercialization agreement to develop novel CD3 bispecific antibodies, using ORBIT’s expertise in research and discovery of antibody therapeutics for cancer.
Former ORBIT leader Dongxing Zha, Ph.D., discusses how monoclonal antibodies can be used to treat cancer and the coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition to novel cancer treatments, the ORBIT team is using sophisticated technologies to discover and develop antibody therapies for COVID-19 using antibodies from patients that have recovered from the disease.
“From the bench to the bedside” is a phrase often used to describe a drug discovery’s journey from the laboratory to the clinic, where patients benefit.
MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division, however, takes a different approach, by beginning with the bench at the bedside.
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded $15.5 million in a Product Development Award to ImmunoGenesis, Inc., to advance bispecific PD-L1/PD-L2 antibodies based on discoveries made by the laboratory of Michael Curran, Ph.D., associate professor of Immunology, and the ORBIT platform.
To collaborate with our platform, please contact:
Jasbir Kaur, M.S., M.B.A.
Scientific Manager
Email: jkaur1@mdanderson.org
Phone: 832-750-1681
