Science
The Treatment of
Patient 1
The late Ralph Whitworth observing the expansion of human t-cells being processed in the Immunotherapy Foundation Advanced Cellular Therapy Lab
In early December 2020 , after weeks of careful preparation and procedures , a San Diego cancer
patient was treated with a wholly novel cell therapy – one created just for this patient , using their own immune cells . The treatment of the first human patient with this cutting-edge approach to cancer is a dream fulfilled for Fernanda Whitworth , president and co-founder of Immunotherapy Foundation – the San Diego non-profit that initiated and funded this trial , in addition to the essential research and lab space that brought it to life .
“ Five years ago , my late husband Ralph and I had a vision to bring cutting-edge medicine to our home in San Diego . We wanted to bring together the best doctors and researchers to investigate the best treatments for cancer patients – and with the treatment of this first patient , that dream is being realized .”
Cancer had sadly touched Fernanda ’ s life through the deaths of loved ones , but her determination to realize cures was sparked by the diagnosis , and then recurrence , of her late husband Ralph Whitworth ’ s HPV + head and neck cancer . After learning about the promise of cancer
48 GBSAN . COM | JANUARY 2021