FACULTY PROFILE
	The Antibody Hero Ron Levy's research has led to therapies that help the body's immune system kill cancer cells.

A major program goal is to use current insights into immune function as a basis for understanding and treating lymphoid malignancies. In collaboration with the Cancer Immunology Research Program, researchers are developing new strategies to enlist and fortify the body's natural defenses in the fight against cancer.

In one approach, investigators are generating monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognize cancer cells inside the body and tag them for destruction. Another treatment under study involves vaccinating a person with proteins found only on his or her cancer cells. Doctors are using these "just in time" vaccinations prior to chemotherapy or radiotherapy to incite a powerful immune response and boost treatment efficacy.