Researcher Spotlight: Alex Niu, MD

Roswell Park Cancer Institute

Eric Cohen Distinguished Scholar

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies represent a promising treatment option for many patients with relapsed lymphoma, but some patients still do not respond to therapy. By combining CAR T-cell treatment with a novel cytokine therapy, Dr. Niu’s research aims to increase the persistence of CAR T-cells within the body and modulate the tumor microenvironment to improve the efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy across diverse lymphoma subtypes. “This project has the ability to increase the odds of success with CAR T-cell therapy and could potentially alter the landscape of how CAR T-cell is utilized,” he says. “Thus, it is easy to wake up every day and work on this project with the goal of improving patients’ successes.”

Dr. Niu’s interest in lymphoma research began during his time as a hematology and oncology fellow at Tulane School of Medicine in New Orleans, LA. “The ability of patients with an aggressive lymphoma to arrive at the hospital incredibly sick and, with the appropriate treatment, leave looking like their original self, was an absolute marvel to me,” he says. His career is now focused on advancing the landscape of lymphoma treatment. “While our lymphoma treatments are overall good, there are still large percentages of patients who do not have the response we all hope for,” he explains. “Therefore, I am dedicated to lymphoma research as I want to find ways to improve outcomes for these patients and lay the groundwork for future researchers to advance the field.”