July 2, 2026
New immunotherapy developed at the 91做厙輦⑹ being used to treat solid cancerous tumours
91做厙輦⑹ and McMaster University researchers discovered a unique target present on a specific group of solid cancerous tumours.
Armed with that information, UCalgary scientists developed a new experimental therapy based on Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell therapy (CAR T) that harnesses a patients immune system, training it to find the target and destroy the cancerous cells.
Published in and , the findings provide a blueprint for combating some treatment-resistant cancers.
We developed a first-in-class CAR T cell therapy called GCAR1 that shows strong preclinical and early clinical promise in sarcoma, and other cancers, says , PhD, director of the at the Cumming School of Medicine and the principal investigator on the Nature Cancer study. Our colleagues at McMaster have validated the therapy in mouse models of a deadly brain cancer. This research reflects a close collaboration between the 91做厙輦⑹, and key partners around the country, allowing discovery science and clinical expertise to work hand in hand.&紳莉莽梯;
The work is a testament to the support of Calgarys philanthropic community and the power of collaboration, Mahoney adds. , part of The Ottawa Hospital, played a key role in this advance by manufacturing the virus used to engineer the CAR T cells. also provided critical reagents required for the biomanufacturing.
Promising single-patient clinical trials
St矇phanie Alain was in the first single-patient clinical trial.
Photo provided by St矇phanie Alains family
In Calgary, the therapy has been given to two Canadian patients with alveolar soft-cell sarcoma, a rare type of malignant tumour. The first patient, St矇phanie Alain, lived significantly longer than expected. Her doctors say the therapy extended her life expectancy by 18 months.
Her bravery in the face of tremendous health challenges, and her willingness to be part of this important study throughout her treatments, allowed the scientists to dive deeper into how to make the medicine more effective. Co-principal investigator , PhD, led the data science team.
We anticipated learning something from St矇phanies tissue and studied lung biopsies taken before and after treatment. We also generated data from dozens of blood samples, each comprising many thousands of cells, says Morrissy, associate director of Discovery and Innovation at the Riddell Centre.
Kent B. was the second person to receive the immunotherapy to treat solid tumours developed by UCalgary researchers.
Riley Brandt, 91做厙輦⑹
Calgary man thankful for research
With insights from that data, a second patient was treated with GCAR1 in combination with a well-tolerated effective companion immunotherapy. The results have been overwhelmingly positive. His progress is still being followed.
This clinical trial gave me hope. I was told there wasnt anything more that could be done to treat my cancer, says 55-year-old Kent B., husband and father of two daughters. I saw several CT scans of my cancer. It had metastasized to my lungs. After the second therapy, the scans showed that many of the tumours had shrunk and some had disappeared.
Kents treatment at the was overseen by , MD, a clinician and co-principal investigator on the study.
One of the lesions in Kents lungs was over 2.5 centimeters in size, and now it's less than one centimeter in size. There was another smaller lesion that we could see on the first scan and then barely see it on the second, says Shafey, a hematologist and cell therapy specialist at the Arthur Child. With research, we can bring new experimental treatments to patients who have exhausted all standard treatments. Cancer Care Alberta's leadership in conducting early phase clinical trials and caring for patients receiving novel therapies is helping accelerate promising research into treatments that can extend and improve lives.
Kent and his family taking a break in the all-season garden at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre.
Riley Brandt, 91做厙輦⑹
An idea in the lab results in a new therapy for treatment resistant cancer
First author of the study, , PhD, says CAR T therapy has changed cancer treatment, and he believes, while its still early days, the Mahoney labs discovery and development of a GCAR1 therapy could have a global impact on sarcomas and other cancers one day.
We have had laser focus on this new target since 2021. Within six months of building the medicine, we had data back from mouse studies. The results were so striking, we were able to get approval and move the therapy to a patient in 2023, says Zemp, an adjunct professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. That speed of translation from the lab to the clinic is remarkable.
The researchers are studying Kents tumour samples before and after the GCAR1 therapy and are already working toward more advanced versions of the GCAR. The distinct marker the GCAR therapy targets is also present on kidney cancers and glioblastomas. The Nature paper led by McMaster researchers delves into the pre-clinical findings associated with glioblastomas.
Research in the Mahoney lab is one example of therapies being developed as part of the at the Cumming School of Medicine. These therapies use the bodys own building blocks, including cells, genes and microbes (living organisms found in and on your body, such as in your gut and on your skin), to detect, respond to and repair disease at its source.
The study conducted at UCalgary was supported by generous philanthropic contributions, as well as grants from , , , , and . Additional support is detailed in the paper.
Mahoney and Zemp are the inventors of the GCAR therapy and have a patent pending.
Doug Mahoney, PhD, is an associate professor in the departments of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the (CSM). He is the director of the , and a member of the , , and the .
Sorana Morrissy, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and associate director of Discovery and Innovation at the Riddell Centre at the CSM. She is a member of Arnie Charboneau Cancer Institute and the Alberta Childrens Hospital Research Institute at the CSM.
Mona Shafey, MD, is a hematologist and cell therapy specialist and medical director of Alberta Blood & Marrow Transplant Program at and a clinical associate professor in the departments of Medicine and Oncology at the CSM. She is a member of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute at the CSM.
Franz Zemp, PhD, is an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the CSM, and Jeff Burns Synthetic Immunology Lead at the Riddell Center for Cancer Immunotherapy. He is a member of the Alberta Childrens Hospital Research Institute, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute and Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases at the CSM.
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