Immunotherapy innovation is a full-time focus at an Ohio State institute where researchers develop new ways to treat cancer with patients’ own natural defenses. “I think we’ve shown the collective commitment to make huge progress in the field of immuno-oncology,” says Zihai Li, MD, PhD, the founding director of the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology (PIIO). “We now have more than 100 PIIO members after recruiting 32 amazing investigators from around the nation. We’ve also published 1,200 scientific papers and conducted 230 immuno-oncology clinical trials.” The PIIO team has continued to grow and develop novel cancer treatments since it was launched in 2019 with the help of a $104 million funding commitment from Pelotonia, the annual cycling event that supports The Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Li shares more information on Ohio State’s immunotherapy innovation on our Cancer-Free World Podcast. Watch on the video player above or listen via SoundCloud. Among the clinical trials launched at the PIIO is a study from Li’s lab that re-engineered T cells from a patient’s blood and genetically modified them to better recognize, attack and kill cancer cells in glioblastomas, a brain tumor that’s extremely difficult to treat. “We are making the leap from using cellular therapy for solid tumors,” Li says about the treatment, called CAR T-cell therapy. “It has been effective in treating a variety of leukemias and multiple myeloma, but nothing has been approved for treating solid tumors and we think this is a potential way to do it. We’re very excited by this.” Click here to learn more about immunotherapy for cancer at the OSUCCC – James. The PIIO team is currently studying the development of a new generation of CAR T cell therapy that targets three molecules instead of one. “This has never been done by anyone else, and after painstaking work, we’ve obtained approval from the FDA for a clinical trial.” PIIO researchers are also working to improve understanding of genetic differences between men and women, and how they impact the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. “It turns out that male hormones can actually suppress the immune system — the T-cell response — and if you remove the suppressive switch, it will make the T cells more effective,” Li says. Click here to learn more about the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology at The Ohio State University.