Cancer Immunotherapy Stories Shared at the Vatican

Susan Rheingold, MD, medical director of the Oncology Outpatient Clinic and an attending physician with the Cancer Center at CHOP, spoke at the Vatican in April, describing the cutting-edge work in immunotherapy to treat pediatric cancer patients. Joining Rheingold was CHOP Cancer Center patient Nicholas Wilkins and his family. Nicholas was enrolled in a clinical trial at CHOP where he received experimental immunotherapy treatment, and he’s been in remission for 3 years.

The exclusive international event, titled “Cellular Horizons: The Third International Conference on the Progress of Regenerative Medicine and Its Cultural Impact,” was created by the Stem for Life Foundation, STOQ, and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture. The world’s leading cell therapy scientists, physicians, patients, ethicists, and leaders of faith, government, and philanthropy were on hand to discuss the latest cellular therapy breakthroughs and hope for the future.

“I had the honor of attending the Stem for Life conference hosted at the Vatican, which presented the latest in cellular and stem cell therapy from both the scientific and the patient perspectives,” says Rheingold. “I presented our data on our revolutionary T-cell immunotherapy, which is putting more than 90% of pediatric and young adult patients with multiple relapsed pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia back into remission.” One of the highlights of the meeting for Rheingold was an audience with the Pope, where Vice President Joe Biden discussed the Cancer Moonshot. 

To get more information about CHOP’s Cancer Immunotherapy Program, to learn about the critical time period when immunotherapy treatment can be administered, or to find out if a specific patient might be a candidate for a clinical trial, call 267-426-0762 or email oncointake@email.chop.edu.