Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies
Advancing Precision Medicine
The Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies was born in response to an identified need to develop novel strategies for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases, including cancers, infectious diseases and autoimmune conditions.
Its genesis was overseen by an advisory council that united nearly two dozen distinguished leaders from across Arizona in a nexus of science, government and private industry. By combining expertise both within and beyond medical sciences, we ensure that CAMI’s solutions become real-world successes, improving health outcomes for Arizonans and advancing medicine around the world.
Today, CAMI is led by a senior leadership team that is dedicated to filling a unique need in the development of new immunotherapies. Current projects include:
Protein engineering for cancer
Cancers arise in part by their ability to evade the immune system. CAMI researchers seek to use the basic rules of how the immune system recognizes and eliminates virally infected cells to trick the immune system into eliminating tumors.
Regenerative medicine for Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system erroneously kills insulin-producing beta cells. CAMI researchers figured out how the immune system makes this mistake and why it rejects organ transplants. They are using pluripotent stem cells to restore beta cells that are invisible to the immune system, which could cure Type 1 diabetes.
mRNA therapies for cancer
Mutations in the genetic material found in cells can cause cancer, but they can also serve as a trigger for the immune system. At the same time, millions of copies of mRNA are made naturally in cells every day. CAMI researchers are defining which mutations are the best targets for the immune system and using mRNA to instruct the immune system to kill tumors while leaving healthy cells and tissues intact.
Treatments to target the specific causes of an individual’s illness are becoming a reality, especially for diseases like cancer; however, these treatments are often only available at the hospitals and institutions that created the therapy because they must be personalized and cannot be mass-produced. CAMI will work with clinical partners in Phoenix and across the state to ensure the latest personalized treatments are made available to Arizonans.