Dr Hinrichs on the Future of Cell Therapy Access: From Cancer Centers to Communities

In an interview with Targeted Oncology^®, Christian S. Hinrichs, MD, co-director of the Cancer Immunology and Metabolism Center of Excellence at Rutgers Cancer Institute, offers his thoughts on the future of specialized cell therapies such as autologous tumor-infiltration lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy and engineered T cell receptor (TCR)-T cells, particularly in the community clinic setting.

Watch part 1, part 2, and part 3 of Dr Hinrichs’ interview.

Comprehensive cancer centers such as the Rutgers Cancer Institute, where 2 trials of such specialized cellular therapies are ongoing, are equipped with the scientific resources (eg, Good Manufacturing Practices infrastructure) necessary to translate scientific findings directly to the bedside. When asked about the potential for broadening access to such cell therapies beyond major academic centers which would enable community physicians to manage these therapies locally, Dr Hinrichs acknowledges that predicting the future is “notoriously difficult.”

However, Dr Hinrichs suggests that the distribution model of the therapies currently in development would likely mirror that of current CAR T-cell approaches. The observation is that CAR T-cell treatments are already "starting to move more toward community centers," suggesting that efforts are underway to offer this type of treatment more broadly and safely.

Therefore, while Dr Hinrichs does not have a "crystal ball," his prediction is that these novel TIL and TCR-T-cell therapies will essentially follow the same model as CAR T-cell approaches, facilitating wider, safer access in the future. This development would potentially allow community oncologists to incorporate these specialized, durable, one-time treatments into their local practices.

Read the full interview here.