Lynsie’s leukemia is in remission!

Wow! What an amazingly generous group of people you are! I am simply astounded at the response to Aileen’s Virtual 50th Birthday Party. As a result of your support I am happy to say our research program can forge ahead — pedal to the metal. There is much to be done as we strive to create momentum and plan for a sustainable future of creating new more effective and less toxic therapies for cancers that afflict children. THANK YOU!

As you may have heard, our story has recently become tangible — we have broached the divide from wanting to help children in their battle, to having a name and a face, that of Lynsie Conradi, who bravely agreed to participate as our first patient on our leukemia T cell therapy protocol. While we were cautious in our expectations of what the lowest dose of reprogrammed T cells might do to help against a leukemia that was unresponsive to powerful chemotherapy, once infused back in to Lynsie’s body, those leukemia killing T cells multiplied somewhere between 1,000-10,000 fold and slammed that leukemia into a remission — that state when even with our most sensitive testing no leukemia cells can be detected. That was a home-run for Lynsie at a time when she needed one the most! And though we today stand at an N of 2 (only two patients treated thus far), we have witnessed the power of the reprogrammed immune system in action. Without the generosity of donors like you, which allowed us to accelerate the timetable to opening this trial, Lynsie would not be with us today.

On behalf of the patients whose lives will be saved, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Jensen
Director
Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research