In the News

New clinical trial:

We have recently received approval for the launch of a new immune therapy trial, officially open to accrual as of March 21st, 2016.

Our TIP researchers and physicians have developed this flagship trial in partnership with Merck & Co., Inc. Led by Dr. Lillian Siu and Dr. Pamela Ohashi, this trial will accrue 100 patients with different types of advanced solid tumors. Patients will be treated with a new immune therapy drug called pembrolizumab, which targets a protein in the immune system called PD-1. This drug is a type of immune checkpoint blockade, that ‘releases the brakes’ on the immune system, thereby enhancing the cancer-fighting activity of the immune system.

One major aspect of this trial will be the in-depth immune monitoring of all patients. Tumor and blood samples will be analyzed with cutting-edge methods. Valuable information will be gained about how this immune therapy drug impacts the immune profile of different patients and the immune profiles specifically associated with successful therapy. This study also includes sophisticated genomic profiling, in order to understand the genetics of cancer cells and immune cells and how specific genetic features are related to treatment outcomes.


The study will be open to patients with the following tumor types:

  • Squamous Cell Cancer of Head and Neck (SCCHN)
  • Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
  • Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) Type II
  • Malignant Melanoma (MM)
  • Advanced Solid Tumors

This clinical trial is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02644369)


For further information on this trial please use one of the following contacts:

  • Email: TIP@uhn.ca
  • Hotline for physician referrals: (416) 946-4501 x 5885


Featured in The Globe and Mail:

An article in The Globe and Mail entitled: “Scientists unleash the power of immunotherapy on stubborn cancers” described advances in cancer immunotherapy and some of the researchers in the field, including the Director of TIP, Dr. Pamela Ohashi.