James N. Kochenderfer
Photo courtesy of NCI Visuals Online
James N. Kochenderfer, M.D., Investigator in the Surgery Branch, has been named a Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awardee by the Clinical Research Forum. Dr. Kochenderfer received the award for “Development of CAR T-Cell Therapy for Myeloma.”
Multiple myeloma is almost always an incurable cancer. Although there are many treatment options available for myeloma, in most cases the cancer will relapse. This study focused on developing a new therapy for myeloma that uses the body’s own immune system to treat cancer, called immunotherapy. By reprogramming a patient’s immune cells to attack their myeloma cancer cells, patients with relapsed multiple myeloma were able to be treated. Although still preliminary, this study adds a new tool for doctors to use to treat myeloma patients with relapsing disease.
The Clinical Research Forum selected winners of these awards based on the degree of innovation and novelty involved in the advancement of science; contribution to the understanding of human disease and/or physiology; and potential impact upon the diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment of disease. All nominated studies were published in peer-reviewed journals during 2019.
The award-winning studies exemplify major advances resulting from the nation’s investment in research to benefit the health and welfare of its citizens and reflect the influential work being conducted by investigators at research institutions and hospitals across the United States and partner institutions from around the world.
The awardees will be recognized on April 14, 2020, in Washington, D.C.