[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/01\/immune-response\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/01\/immune-response\/","headline":"Breaking the Code on Immune Response","name":"Breaking the Code on Immune Response","description":"For years, immunology, or the study of the immune system, was a sleepy little corner in the otherwise fast-moving world of clinical research. Today, it is one of the hottest fields in medicine and a source for some of the most exciting new therapies in cancer and autoimmune disease. Research hospitals around the world are […]","datePublished":"2021-01-04","dateModified":"2023-02-02","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","name":"UPMC","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/UPMC_billiar1-1.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/UPMC_billiar1-1.jpg","height":325,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/01\/immune-response\/","about":["Living and Wellness"],"wordCount":467,"articleBody":"For years, immunology, or the study of the immune system, was a sleepy little corner in the otherwise fast-moving world of clinical research. Today, it is one of the hottest fields in medicine and a source for some of the most exciting new therapies in cancer and autoimmune disease.Research hospitals around the world are working furiously to bring this budding science quickly into the clinic, but some are farther along. \u201cWe\u2019ve been far ahead of the crowd in pursuing the translational aspect in ways that benefit patients,\u201d says Tim Billar, Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC\u2019s academic partner. Billiar traces UPMC\u2019s involvement in the field to the 1960s, when surgeons opened the field of organ transplantation with a number of firsts. Next came the introduction of effective immune suppression that transformed organ transplants from high-risk experiments to routine procedures. \u201cNow with 20,000 organ transplants and many cancer breakthroughs,\u201d Billiar says,\u201cwe\u2019ve been able to move seamlessly to clinical leadership in cancer immunotherapies like CAR T-cell therapy.\u201dAlso in UPMC\u2019s sights are treatments for a growing list of chronic inflammatory disorders. \u201cChronic inflammatory conditions affect nearly everyone at some point in their lives, are a major productivity drain, and contribute to accelerated aging,\u201d Billiar says.To consolidate their diverse capabilities in immunotherapy, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh launched the Immune Transplant and Therapy Center (ITTC) in February 2018. The center\u2019s goal is to advance the science of immunology to create innovations in four areas: cancer, chronic disease, aging, and transplant.Ongoing projects include a clinical trial to infuse regulatory dendritic cells in liver transplant patients prior to surgery, with the hope of putting an end to toxic immunosuppression regimens. Another is a prospective trial using the diabetes drug metformin to see if it improves outcomes following high-risk surgery. Work is also progressing to explore bone marrow transplants as a novel pathway to treating debilitating conditions like refractory inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The ITTC currently has five trials in motion.Billiar, who serves as the center\u2019s co-director and scientific lead, contends that the ITTC can help what ails the health research enterprise. \u201cITTC can rely on its position as part of UPMC\u2019s own in-house business incubator, UPMC Enterprises, which commercializes what comes out of our labs,\u201d Billar says. \u201cTogether, we\u2019ve already had a hand in funding 30 projects and creating five start-up companies. Seeing our science come to life gives me a reason to think differently about the future of health care. From our perspective, the view looks promising.\u201d Scientific American asked four UPMC leaders about how technology, science, and adjusted incentives are transforming the patient experience, and the future of medicine. This article is one of four interviews."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"01","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/\/01\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Breaking the Code on Immune Response","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2021\/01\/immune-response\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]