Christian Hinrichs, MD

Cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), like cervical and throat cancers, are hard to treat once they spread. Our team developed a new approach called TCR-T therapy to fight HPV cancers. We take a patient’s own immune cells, called T cells, and modify the T cells in a lab so they can recognize cancer cells. After growing the cells for several weeks, we put them back into the patient. Think of it as programming T cells with a lock-and-key that fits only HPV cancer cells, allowing them to find and destroy tumors. In a clinical trial, two patients with advanced cancer saw their tumors disappear after a single treatment, and they have remained cancer-free for over a year. While successful, TCR-T therapy is slow and expensive because it must be custom-made for each patient. Some patients with fast-growing tumors simply cannot wait, and some hospitals cannot afford to offer the treatment. To solve this, we are developing a simpler treatment called a T cell engager. This protein works like double-sided tape: one side attaches to the cancer cell and the other to a T cell. By pulling the cells together, the immune system can attack the cancer. Because these proteins can be mass-produced and stored, treatment could become faster, cheaper, and more widely available. Our goal is to advance T cell engagers through lab testing and into clinical trials so more people with HPV cancers achieve lasting remission.