HISTORY OF THE IMMUNE THERAPY INITIATIVE FOR OVARIAN CANCER
In 2006, a founder of ITI-OC, Randall Caudill, whose wife Lee was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2004, sought advice from virtually all prominent cancer centers in the U.S. about current research for treatment of advanced ovarian cancer, with a particular emphasis on where the most advanced work in immune therapy was being conducted.
Many of the thought-leaders in the cancer research community highlighted the immune therapy work being done under the direction of Dr. George Coukos, M.D. PhD and Director of the Ovarian Cancer Research Center at Penn. Under the overall direction of Dr. Carl June, Director of Translational Research and Professor, Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn and a pioneer in the field of Immune Therapy, Dr. Coukos and his colleagues have become recognized globally as leaders in the development of immune therapy in treating ovarian cancer. Having partnered with Patricia Dunn in 2007 to establish what has become the Immune Therapy Initiative for Ovarian Cancer, Randall and Pattie became lead donors to support clinical trials and critical related research to further Dr. Coukos’ work with his colleagues at the Ovarian Cancer Research Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Fund raising to increase financial support as well as awareness of this work has been underway since late 2007.
The Immune Therapy Program of the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center started with a Phase I/II clinical trial to treat recurrent ovarian cancer patients through advanced immune therapy commenced on December 6th, 2007 at The University of Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.