Transformational $20 million commitment will support UNC Lineberger’s Cellular Immunotherapy Program

An anonymous donor has made a $20 million commitment in support of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and its world-renowned Cellular Immunotherapy Program. This transformational gift will fuel the next generation of cancer treatments, supporting all aspects of the program with a particular emphasis on clinical trials for near-term cancer targets, expansion of UNC Lineberger's Advanced Cellular Therapeutics (ACT) Facility, and recruitment and retention of faculty thought leaders.

"Carolina is defining the future of cancer care," said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. "At UNC Lineberger, therapies designed and manufactured in Chapel Hill are moving from discovery to clinical trials, creating new possibilities for patients with few other options. This extraordinary commitment will strengthen that work and our ability to serve people across North Carolina while advancing care nationwide. We are deeply grateful for the donor's vision and generosity."

For more than 50 years, UNC Lineberger has been a national leader in cancer research and care. A central part of its mission is moving promising discoveries from the laboratory to patients, and the Cellular Immunotherapy Program is helping lead that work.

"It is always so special when donors see us as a partner in pursuing their passion through philanthropy, and this is a shining example of that," said Dr. Cristy Page '96, '02 (MD, MPH), CEO of UNC Health and dean of the UNC School of Medicine. "This gift gets to the heart of our mission of service and reflects the stellar legacy that our experts at UNC Lineberger and within our Cellular Immunotherapy Program have built. I am truly grateful for this generous show of support, which will lead to more tailored care and better outcomes for patients."

Through the work of Dr. Robert L. Ferris '90, executive director of UNC Lineberger and chief of oncology clinical services at UNC Health, and his colleagues across the cancer center, UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine continue to be one of the world's leading destinations for innovative and ground-breaking cancer research, particularly in cellular immunotherapy. UNC-Chapel Hill researchers are advancing novel CAR-T therapies for a wide variety of cancer types, including lymphoma, neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, lung cancer, head and neck cancers, pancreatic cancer, triple-negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer, with future studies focusing on acute myelogenous leukemia. These therapies, designed and manufactured in Chapel Hill, are currently being studied in clinical trials, offering hope where few options exist.

"This incredible commitment to our Cellular Immunotherapy Program is an investment in innovative research, clinical excellence and, most importantly, better outcomes for patients and families from across North Carolina and around the world who have been impacted by cancer," said Ferris. "Our internationally renowned experts in the field of immunotherapy have made UNC Lineberger a destination for world-leading science and a commitment to compassionate care, and I am grateful for a gift of this magnitude that will help us continue to lead the way."

UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine boast some of the world's leading experts in cancer research and care, and the architects of the immunotherapy program are no exception. Leading this innovative work are Dr. Gianpietro Dotti, director of the UNC Lineberger Cellular Immunotherapy Program and co-leader of the center's Immunology and Immunotherapy Program; Dr. Natalie Grover, clinical director of the UNC Lineberger Cellular Therapy Program; Dr. Barbara Savoldo, co-director of the UNC Lineberger Immunotherapy Program and director of the UNC Lineberger Advanced Cellular Therapeutic Facility; and Dr. Jonathan S. Serody, director of the UNC Lineberger Cellular Therapy Program, UNC Medical Center. This generous support will both ensure that thought leaders of this caliber continue to thrive at UNC-Chapel Hill and bolster the University's ability to recruit the next generation of experts in this field.

At the forefront of UNC Lineberger's Cellular Immunotherapy Program is the development and delivery of personalized medicine through clinical research trials. Creating novel immunotherapy drugs and conducting these trials brings individualized therapy from the research lab directly to the patient. Funds from this gift will support T cell engineering and manufacturing on-site at UNC-Chapel Hill, as well as the specialized teams needed to run these complex trials, including regulatory experts experienced in investigational new drugs, clinical trial coordinators, cell processing and ACT Facility partners and oncologists across multiple disease specialties.

Additionally, this philanthropic investment in the operational expansion and ongoing sustainability of the UNC ACT Facility will enable UNC Lineberger to expand capability for cancer research, further strengthening UNC-Chapel Hill's reputation as a global leader in cellular immunotherapy. Established in 2015 to support clinical trials requiring human cellular therapy products, the ACT Facility includes core staff who are highly experienced in the manufacturing of a wide variety of cellular therapy products.

Finally, these funds will help build on the momentum of the innovative discoveries happening today and expand upon them in the future. This support will provide resources to pursue new discoveries, acting as an incubator for emerging opportunities.