I am an expert in tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, a form of immunotherapy that uses your own immune cells to attack your tumor. I currently lead Fred Hutch’s TIL program, one of only four in the U.S. that offer clinical trials to patients. TILs are a type of T cell that attack cancer, but tumors are able to shut off this immune response before it can eradicate the disease. We extract these dormant cells from a piece of tumor, reactivate them in the lab, multiply those cells to the billions in the laboratory and reinfuse them into patients.

As a doctor who is also a researcher, I’m on the forefront of where treatment for cancer treatment is headed. I lead a team developing TIL therapy for lung cancer. We plan to expand T-cell therapy to head and neck cancer, allowing you to utilize your own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells in your body. With lasers, we pull out the T cells that will work best in fighting your cancer. This type of next-generation immunology provides a sense of hope to patients and doctors alike, and I’m committed to extending its benefits to as many patients as possible.