BUFFALO, N.Y. — Chris Vogelsang says he takes plenty of time to reflect these days.
On this night one year ago, he served as a flag bearer during Roswell Park’s Celebration of Hope. It was a moment he says he couldn’t have imagined more than 12 years ago when he was diagnosed.
“I went into my primary and he felt around and sat down and said I think you have lymphoma.”
That was in fact the case.
His course of treatment included a stem cell transplant in 2009, which held things at bay before the cancer returned in 2022. He had a couple of options. The first was another transplant where he had a perfect match for a donor, or a new emerging treatment called CAR T-cell therapy.
“I said what's the best quality of life, and he said definitely Car-T.”
CAR-T is an approach that involves removing a patient’s immune cells and genetically engineering them to attack the specific kind of tumor the person is dealing with before transplanting them back into the body.
Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, is the Deputy Director and Katherine Anne Gioia Endowed Chair at Roswell Park. He has been recognized as one of the true pioneers in the development of cell therapy over the past two decades.
“Isolating immune cells from a patient… We can genetically instruct those immune cells to find, recognize, and kill tumor cells much more specifically than chemotherapy can.”
It’s a treatment method that’s had proven success against blood cancers. Brentjens says the focus is now to find out how effective it can be against solid tumors.
“The big chasm that we're trying to cross here is from getting it to work in these blood cancers, and now getting that same approach to work with more common solid tumors... prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer... you name it.”
To that end, Roswell Park is taking a leading role nationally and globally with a massive laboratory expansion project that is due to be completed in 2025. It will host four trials for this type of cell therapy and will be the most extensive and largest of any facility in the United States.
“This is really taking it up a significant notch,” Brentjens said.
With the Ride for Roswell set for this weekend, it is more than worth noting that the money raised has been and will continue to be critical to the construction of the labs, and the execution of the trials.
“So much of what we do here that is innovative, that is novel, that is trend-setting... is massively reliant on the goodwill and the generosity of the people of Western New York.”
The Ride for Roswell is now in its 29th year and has raised close to $80 million over those three decades. Funds are distributed by the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, which also benefits from events like the 11-Day Power Play, Empire State Ride, and others.
Chris Vogelsang says he more than appreciates the community support, and that he’s living proof of the results.
“I'm back playing golf. I'm back playing tennis. I feel good. My appetite is great. We've got a tremendous community in Buffalo with Roswell and all the support and the doctors who are coming here and are here now. It's a lot to be grateful for.”