Exploring Cost-effective Immunotherapy Treatments
Edmonton researcher Dr. Michael Chu aims to bring CAR T-cell clinical trials to Alberta
Dr. Michael Chu is convinced is a game-changing treatment in the stand against cancer, and he sees the potential for this type of medicine as nearly limitless."For decades we've been relying on surgery, chemo, and radiation, [but] immunotherapy has really changed how we look at oncology. We can now target the actual cancer cells directly through this treatment," says Chu, a clinician and researcher at the º£½ÇÉçÇø's (º£½ÇÉçÇø) department of oncology. "It's changed melanoma from an entirely palliative disease to something where about 50 to 60 per cent of patients are cured of it."
Chu, 34, is a born-and-raised Edmontonian who did his medical training at the º£½ÇÉçÇø. Four years ago, his career focus shifted to immunotherapy after a combined clinical and research fellowship at . Now a member of the Cancer Research Institute of Northern Alberta (CRINA), and currently practicing at the in Edmonton, Chu is leading the development of a clinical trial to manufacture CAR T-cells in Alberta to treat leukemia and lymphoma.