Wehrli Lab

Immunotherapy takes advantage of the immune system. It is a highly efficient treatment option for certain cancer types. Cellular immunotherapies such as Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells have revolutionized the treatment of haematological malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

For this purpose, T cells are collected from the patient’s peripheral blood and reprogrammed in the laboratory to express a CAR that specifically recognizes tumor cells. These genetically modified T-cells (CAR T cells) are infused back to the patient (Figure 1) being capable of tracking down and eliminating cancer cells (Figure 2).

In contrast to haematological malignancies early efforts are ongoing to develop CAR T cells targeting solid tumors

The aim of our lab is to design, generate, and test novel and more efficient next generation CAR T cell constructs targeting different types of tumors with the ultimate goal to help and support patients.