Naoto Hirano, PhD, MD

Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Keywords: immunotherapy, adoptive cell therapy, T cell responses, T cell activation, lymphocytes

My lab is engaged in basic, translational and clinical research in the field of cancer immunotherapy.

Enhancing a patient’s own T cells to eliminate blood cancer

Study Status: Active
Study Purpose: To boost the natural cancer-killing ability of T cells against blood cancer.
Background: T cells of the immune system are able to attach to cancer cells and kill them. It is difficult to identify targets that are on cancer cells and not on healthy cells, or else the T cells will target and kill the healthy cells as well. Once a target is identified, special receptors can be designed on the T cell to attach to the target. Blood cancers have a target that is called CD19. This target has been used for many years and has been very successful as a treatment option. Unfortunately, over time these T cells gradually become less effective in killing the cancer cells. The Hirano lab has devised a way to boost the anti-cancer effectiveness of the T cells in patients with blood cancer that has CD19.
Study Methods: The study is set up to target various CD19 blood cancers and will evaluate the safety and efficacy of the T cells designed to target CD19. The study started in July 2023 and is currently recruiting participants.
Health Conditions: Blood disorders,Cancer

 

Rare T cell receptor identification

Study Status: Completed
Study Purpose: To identify T cell receptors that recognize an individual’s particular cancer. Once these receptors are identified, they can be used to treat the disease.
Background: T cells are part of the immune system. They are a major part of keeping the body healthy. A cancer cell produces proteins that are not usually found in healthy cells. These proteins are cut into pieces and put on the surface of the cancer cell. T cells are able to recognize these pieces through their T cell receptors. T cells then attach to the cancer cell and are able to kill them. So, in order for the immune system to kill the cancer cell, a T cell with the correct T cell receptor needs to come close enough to the cancer cell to find it, attach to it, and kill it. If we knew what T cell receptor is able to attach to the cancer in a patient, then we could use this receptor to kill the cancer. This treatment option has been around for a while now and it can be very effective at fighting cancer. However, one major challenge is finding the correct T cell receptors. The Hirano lab has generated a procedure that is able to find the T cell receptors that can bind to a patients’ cancer.
Study Methods: Knowing a patient’s cancer type and genetic background, their T cells can be rapidly scanned to find receptors that can bind their cancer. Once these receptors are identified, they can be used to fight the cancer.
Key Findings: The Hirano method is able to discover T cell receptors that are difficult to find using traditional methods, since the Hirano method has a much higher sensitivity. A company (TCRyption) was formed at UHN to further develop a large-scale platform for the technology. TCRyption was acquired by Treadwell Therapeutics. This allows for efficient T cell receptor scanning for large groups of patients.
Health Conditions: Cancer

 

For a list of Dr. Hirano's publications, please visit PubMed or Scopus.

Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Associate Director for Research, Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Professor, Department of Immunology, University of Toronto
Senior Investigator, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research
Investigator, BioCanRx