"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Aude G. Chapuis, MD

Provider

Aude G. Chapuis, MD

Physician, Fred Hutch
Associate Professor, Translational Science and Therapeutics Division, Fred Hutch
John C. and Karyl Kay Hughes Foundation Endowed Chair, Fred Hutch
Associate Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Medical Oncology

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“Patients who undergo bone marrow transplants endure a lot of hardship, and I believe we can do better. That’s why I do research.”

— Dr. Chapuis

What is adoptive T-cell therapy?

Let’s say that you get infected by a virus — the flu, for example. Your immune system mounts a response, not only killing it but also remembering it, so that you will be protected against that particular virus for your whole life. We’re trying to do the same thing for cancer. With adoptive T-cell therapy, the goal is to take T cells (a type of immune cell) from your body and prime them to target cancer. We do this by enhancing a weapon that T cells already have: receptors that recognize cancer cells. After growing large quantities of these modified T cells in the lab, we then put them back in your body so they can seek and destroy tumors.

What motivates you to conduct research into immunotherapy?

The patients I treat are my biggest source of inspiration. Watching them go through taxing treatments like bone marrow transplants motivates me to keep refining adoptive T-cell therapy so it’s a viable option for more people. Tackling the related scientific challenges also keeps me going, such as choosing which T cells (there are many different kinds) will be most effective against a particular type of cancer and figuring out how to convince a T cell to infiltrate a tumor’s hostile environment. Cancer is complex, but through advances in immunotherapy, we’ve demonstrated that certain kinds are beatable. Now, we’re working to broaden that effect.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Adult blood and marrow transplantation, cellular immunotherapy

I am an attending physician on Fred Hutch’s Autologous and Allogenic Transplant Service who specializes in treating patients with blood cancers. I consult with people who are considering stem cell transplants, and I also provide care for patients receiving T-cell infusions in immunotherapy trials.

My research is focused on developing novel ways of teaching the immune system to target a variety of life-threatening viral infections and cancers, from HIV to lung cancer to Merkel cell carcinoma. My lab has made a number of important discoveries, such as using a “bar code” technology to track T cells after they have been transferred into patients, ultimately helping us figure out which T cells are best suited for eliminating tumors. With extensive experience in designing and leading immunotherapy trials, I have also successfully sponsored multiple investigational new drug applications (INDs), the first step in the Food and Drug Administration’s process for approving new drug therapies.

Diseases Treated

Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Languages

English
Italian
French

Education, Experience and Certifications

Medical Degree
University of Lausanne Medical School

Residency
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Internal Medicine; Hospital Neuchatelois Pourtales, Internal Medicine

Fellowship
University of Washington, Medical Oncology; Fred Hutch, Postdoctoral Research; Laboratoire d'Immunopathologie du SIDA, Pre-doctoral Research

Other
Laboratoire d'Immunopathologie du SIDA, Internship

Stories

All news

New initiative bolsters Washington state life sciences

New initiative bolsters Washington state life sciences Fred Hutch researchers awarded over $4M in grants from the Washington Research Foundation November 13, 2024

AACR 2024: Liquid biopsies, better treatments and baseball

AACR 2024: Liquid biopsies, better treatments and baseball Fred Hutch scientist throws out first pitch, welcomes new AACR president at San Diego cancer conference April 15, 2024

How does leukemia escape from immunotherapy?

How does leukemia escape from immunotherapy? Single-cell sequencing tech enables deep dive into mysterious results, sets stage for future improvements February 9, 2022

We make promising new treatments available to you through studies called clinical trials led by Fred Hutch physicians. Many of these trials at Fred Hutch have led to FDA-approved treatments and have improved standards of care globally. Together, you and your physician can decide if a study is right for you.

Find a Clinical Trial Led by Dr. Chapuis

Many of our Fred Hutch physicians conduct ongoing research to improve standards of patient care. Their work is evaluated by other physicians and selected for publication to the United States National Library of Medicine, the largest medical library in the world. See scientific papers this Fred Hutch physician has written.

View Dr. Chapuis's Publications

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