PHX Reporter

Officials foresee the planned Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI) at the University of Arizona (UA) to be “nothing short” of a hub for the study of immunotherapy.

The “CAMI” is being developed to “advance knowledge of the immunology of cancers, infectious diseases and autoimmune conditions,” according to a release by UA. The center will “develop novel strategies for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases,” the release stated.

"We expect CAMI to be nothing short of a national biomedical research hub," Dr. Michael D. Dake, senior vice president for UArizona Health Sciences, said in the release. "CAMI will be a beacon for people who are involved in this type of research to work, collaborate and engage on the Phoenix Bioscience Core."

Immunotherapy uses a person's own immune system to fight cancer, and molecular therapies use drugs to target specific molecules in a disease’s progression. Dr. Michael Kuhns, an associate professor in the UA College of Medicine – Tucson and member of the BIO5 Institute, said the applications of immunotherapy could be practically limitless.

"Bioengineers solve fundamental problems with technologies that can have many applications," Kuhns said in the release. "If you can make something run more efficiently in certain circumstances – for example, make T cells in the immune system more effective at combating a particular disease – then the only limit to immunotherapy is your imagination."

The use of immunotherapy to fight cancer is a good reason to show why the CAMI is being developed, he said.

"This technology has clear implications for autoimmune disease, but also for cancer," Kuhns said, who serves CAMI Advisory Committee. "This technology emerged from basic science is taking hold in the laboratory and is showing promise to go to the clinic. This is a prime example of what we can do."

The research buildings at the center will be connected in order to include laboratories and support “translational research, clinical research space and startup incubator space to create a synergistic environment” for commercialization of treatments, the release stated.

“Student education will be prioritized in learning spaces dedicated to academic programs that will allow CAMI faculty and researchers to mentor and train the next generation of scientists,” the release stated. 

Experts such as Dake say the field is rife with opportunities.

"There is not a field with more explosive growth than immunotherapy. There is rapid growth in research investment and increased formation of academic and industry partnerships around the world," Dake said in the release. "My hopes are that CAMI is going to provide opportunities to accelerate the development and delivery of revolutionary treatments for the management of cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases."

Dake and others believe CAMI will greatly advance the cause of cancer treatment.

"We are going to see diversification of drug classes and different types of combination therapies, delivery mechanisms and monitoring," Dake said. "Going forward, I think we're going to see a wide array of therapies that are going to be vastly different than any past generations ever had. Suffice it to say, in the future, pills and syringes are going to be obsolete."