“I love that people are always willing to help."

At the University of Colorado Anschutz, researchers are rewriting what's possible for lymphoma patients with few treatment options.

Led by Dr. Terry Fry and Dr. Manali Kamdar, CU scientists are pioneering CAR T-cell therapy—a breakthrough treatment that reprograms a patient's own immune cells to find and destroy cancer. "People thought it was a crazy idea," says Fry, clinical professor of pediatric oncology at the CU School of Medicine. "But it completely changed the treatment landscape."

CAR T-cell therapy has already helped about half of patients with leukemia and lymphoma who didn't respond to chemotherapy reach remission. And thanks to CU Anschutz's world-class facilities and support from the Gates Frontiers Fund, researchers can take these discoveries from lab to clinic faster than ever before. 

"The field figured out how to turn this process into an FDA-approved drug in just five years," Fry said. Now, CU scientists are building on that success, testing next-generation therapies that could make treatment more effective and less toxic for patients facing aggressive cancers. 

Kamdar's team is leading national trials to test these new approaches, including versions that target multiple cancer markers at once. "The idea behind these trials is to advance to our lofty goal of a 100% cure rate," Kamdar said. 

As research expands, CU Anschutz is helping define the future of cancer care right here in Colorado, giving new hope to patients and families around the world.