Tanoto Foundation pledges $5 million to accelerate cell therapy discovery and innovation at MD Anderson

HOUSTON ― The Tanoto Foundation today pledged $5 million to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to support cell therapy discovery and innovation research. These funds will accelerate crucial preclinical and translational research of CRISPR gene-edited, TGF-beta resistant CD70-targeted armored chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cell therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), developed by Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., vice president of Cell Therapy, and her team.

“Our philanthropic efforts in medical research are focused on improving people’s health and lifespan through collaborative relationships and catalytic funding,” said Anderson Tanoto, a member of the foundation’s board of trustees. “We believe Dr. Rezvani and her team are poised to redefine the standard of care for patients around the world and this pledge further builds on our existing ongoing medical philanthropy initiatives in Asia.”

Drawing on its strong research infrastructure, disease expertise and diverse patient population, MD Anderson hosts active CAR NK cell trials for patients with AML and MDS, as well as those with multiple myeloma, lymphoma, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, renal cell carcinoma, pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma and osteosarcoma. 

“Once-in-a-generation scientific advances require a high level of trust and support. On behalf of MD Anderson, I express my deepest gratitude to the Tanoto Foundation for its visionary support for cell therapy discovery and innovation research,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “Breakthroughs made here have the potential to benefit humanity for generations to come.”

Harnessing the power of NK cells to treat disease

MDS and AML are blood diseases characterized by an overproduction of immature blood cells that crowd out healthy cells.

Through groundbreaking research at MD Anderson, Rezvani and her team have developed and are furthering the study of an innovative treatment using engineered NK cells derived from donated umbilical cord blood. 

NK cells are tumor-destroying immune cells that serve as a first line of defense against disease; however, cancer cells can make themselves difficult to detect or resistant to treatment. By genetically modifying the NK cells with CARs, which are designed to bind to specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells, the NK cells can find and eliminate target cancer cells more effectively. Rezvani’s laboratory multiplies the number of these engineered CAR NK cells, growing them in large numbers before infusing them into patients.

NK cell therapy is “off-the-shelf,” meaning it can be sourced from any healthy donor and given to any patient, without regard for most genetic matching parameters and without risk of graft-versus-host disease. This one-size-fits-all approach allows for production that can be scaled more easily and quickly than other forms of cell therapy. 

MD Anderson is home to one of the country’s largest cord blood banks, offering an ample supply of donated umbilical cord blood from which the NK cells are derived. Cells collected from a single umbilical cord serve as the basis for over 100 therapeutic doses. 

Building off success in treating blood cancers, MD Anderson’s researchers are now working to expand cell therapy’s application into solid tumors and autoimmune diseases.

“We are very grateful to the Tanoto Foundation for joining this endeavor to redefine the health care landscape for patients with AML, MDS and many other diseases,” Rezvani said. “Together, we are attracting global attention for this impactful research, and we aim to inspire others to join the mission to end cancer.”