The Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (BKI) is where the next generation of cures will be made.
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Our Experts
View our experts by disease program.
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Research
Our experts are uniquely positioned to make progress against cancer.
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Treatment
While FDA-approved immune therapies exist, they're relatively new. Many patients undergo immune-based cancer treatments through clinical trials.
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Immunotherapy News
For the latest on all publications, press releases and patient stories.
Turning Research into Results
Neoadjuvant Therapy
Neoadjuvant immunotherapy, usually with a single or combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors, is given before surgery to decrease the size of tumors to make surgical removal easier and to prevent cancer recurrence. Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy research provided the first published report of neoadjuvant immunotherapy, using PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. In some cases, cancers, including non-small cell lung cancers, melanoma skin cancers, Merkel Cell Carcinoma, head and neck cancers, had completely disappeared by the time of surgery.
Vaccine
A pancreatic vaccine that targets the KRAS gene mutations most common in pancreatic cancer is being studied in patients who have had surgery and chemotherapy as a way to prevent the cancer from coming back. Neeha Zaidi, assistant professor of oncology, is collaborating with Elizabeth Jaffee, associate director of the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, on the vaccine study and says the goal is to guide the immune system to attack cells that contain these mutations.
50 Years of Immunology Research
Cancer care transitions to outpatient settings, with the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins expanding to occupy its largest footprint. Immunotherapy breakthroughs harness the immune system's natural killing power against cancer, marking significant clinical progress. The adoption of Multidisciplinary Clinics, where specialists collaborate across various fields of cancer care, becomes standard practice, leading to enhanced therapeutic approaches and improved patient survival rates.
Develop powerful new technologies.
We will build on immunotherapy's momentum with new technologies that allow us to study the tumor microenvironment thoroughly and efficiently, and seek to understand why immunotherapy works for some patients and not others.
Take science to a new level.
We will build on immunotherapy's momentum with new technologies that allow us to study the tumor microenvironment thoroughly and efficiently, and seek to understand why immunotherapy works for some patients and not others.
Translate research into therapies more rapidly.
The need for effective cancer treatments is urgent, but it takes many, many years to bring a concept from the lab to the patient. We are accelerating the clinical development process by offering small, cutting-edge clinical trials supported by an immense translational research team.
Our Stories
Immunotherapy Clinical Trials
We offer a range of new therapies currently being tested in all phases of the clinical trials process. Many of these have been developed by our own physician-scientists.
Find information about studies offered at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center by using the ClinicalTrials.gov
Eligibility requirements differ from study to study. There is no guarantee that every individual who qualifies and wants to participate in a trial will be enrolled. If you are currently a patient at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, ask your healthcare team about clinical trials that may be right for you. If you are not currently receiving your care at Johns Hopkins and would like to be evaluated for potential participation, please contact our new patient office: 410-955-8964.
The NIH Clinical Trials and You website is a resource for people who want to learn more about clinical trials. By expanding the below questions, you can read answers to common questions about taking part in a clinical trial.
