Dr. Patrick Hwu

It was a pleasure to share the latest on next-gen cell therapies @ufhealthcancer.bsky.social today.

Thank you for the opportunity to kick off your fall Grand Rounds. It’s always inspiring to connect with colleagues who share our drive to push the boundaries of discovery and care.

Had fun trying some new songs with @drdanarocks.bsky.social! What do you think of our take on the Chapell Roan megahit #PinkPonyClub?

#MusicMonday #DocsWhoRock #TheReMissions

🌟These findings may lead to vaccine and adoptive cell therapy strategies against pancreatic cancer.

🔗 Here's a link to the full study: lnkd.in/etf8fkf8

#Immunotherapy #PancreaticCancer #CancerResearch

➡️ In a recent study, investigators found that tumors make mistakes (translational errors) in the production of peptides that can lead to novel shared antigens on pancreatic cancers.

➡️ This requires the identification of target peptides, called antigens, that are present in pancreatic cancers but not in normal tissues. While this can result from tumor DNA mutations, there is still a limited number of antigens capable of being recognized by T cells.

#ScienceSaturday 🧵

❓ How can we target pancreatic cancer with T cells?

🌟 Since cancers increase with age, future work towards understanding the mechanisms underlying these observations may lead to new treatment strategies.

🔗 Here's a link to the full article via @nejm.org - www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

#Immunology #Immunotherapy #CancerResearch

➡️ Analyzing nearly 50 thousand cancer patients, @oriolpich.bsky.social et al. found that patients whose tumors were infiltrated with CHIP-mutated immune cells had a worse prognosis, possibly due to increased inhibitory myeloid cells.

#ScienceSaturday 🧵

❓ How does aging affect the immune cells infiltrating tumors?

➡️ As we age, our circulating blood and immune cells can develop mutations called clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP).

Screening Guidelines Updated for Women With ‘Extremely Dense’ Breasts Recommendations now encourage supplemental breast MRIs for certain patients

🗣️ Share this with the women in your life! The @NCCN has shared updated screening guidelines for women with extremely dense breasts. Moffitt’s Dr. Bethany Niell explains the new guidelines and why they are important.

www.moffitt.org/endeavor/arc...

Excited to be joined by biotech executives, entrepreneurs, investors and researchers today at #MoffittBoB to discuss the latest advances in cancer care. A big thank you to Florida Secretary of Commerce Alex Kelly for kicking off the event at our leadership breakfast.

@moffittnews.bsky.social

➡️ In this study, published in Nature Medicine, Lowery, et al. found that expanding TILs that recognize patient-specific tumor mutations can enhance the immune response against cancer. When combined with anti-PD1, the response rate was 23 percent in patients with GI cancers.

📢 New landmark research out today on #TILTherapy for GI cancers

❓Can neoantigen-specific tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) improve #immunotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers?

🌟 Early findings suggest this approach could improve outcomes for patients who do not respond well to current immunotherapies. Personalized TIL could be an important tool in the fight against gastrointestinal cancers!

Here’s a link to the full study- www.nature.com/articles/s41591-025-03627-5

Happy #NationalDoctorsDay! Join me in recognizing all of our inspiring docs who make a difference in the lives of our patients every day @moffittnews.bsky.social! Photos from our Doctors’ Day lunch celebration! 🩺🥼

🌟 This study suggests that inhibiting MDK could be a valuable strategy to improve immunotherapy outcomes in melanoma!

🔗 Here’s a link to the full study: www.nature.com/articles/s43018-025-00929-y

@naturecancer.bsky.social

➡️ Targeting MDK in preclinical models restored dendritic cell function, enhanced the activation of cytotoxic T cells, and improved antitumor immune responses.

➡️ In this study, MDK was shown to induce immune suppression by altering dendritic cell function. This impaired the ability of the immune system to effectively target and eliminate melanoma cells, allowing the tumor to progress.

#ScienceSaturday 🧵

➡️ Melanoma secretes a protein called midkine (MDK), which plays a key role in reprogramming dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment.

❓ How can this impact immune responses?

Thank you to Lakeland Commissioner Stephanie Madden and other Polk County leaders for joining us this week to tour our brand-new Moffitt at SouthShore ambulatory center!

Moffitt Cancer Center is proud to be the first standalone cancer center in the world to open a Nikon Center of Excellence! This prestigious achievement reflects our commitment to cutting-edge imaging technology and groundbreaking cancer research.

Read more: bit.ly/41L1R0L

🔗 Here’s a link to the full study- www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🌟 This highlights the potential importance of B cells in antitumor immune responses and may indicate that B cell activation strategies should be studied in cancer patients.

➡️ In a recent article by Ayana Ruffin, et al. dysfunctional (double negative) B cells were found to accumulate in patients with head and neck cancer and were associated with disease progression.

➡️ B cells, which produce antibodies, are important to prevent infections and are now being studied for their role in antitumor immune responses.

#ScienceSaturday 🧵

❓ Are B cells important to eliminate cancers? T cells, capable of directly killing cancers, have been widely studied in tumor immunology.

#MusicMonday with my daughter Ally!

Song: “I See the Light” from Tangled

#tangled #rapunzel #fatherdaughter #duet #guitar #singing #harmonies #docswhorock

Moffitt’s #PetTherapy dogs, Kayba, CJ and Kayse are ready for a pawesome #Valentinesday2025! ❤️ 🐾

Thanks to @moffittnews.bsky.social volunteer Ken Price for bringing them to spread cheer among our patients and teams at Moffitt McKinley Outpatient Center!

Gratitude isn’t just important for the present, but the past and future, too. #ThursdayThoughts

🌟 These findings highlight the potential of personalized cancer vaccines as an effective adjuvant therapy in RCC.

🔗 Read more: www.nature.com/articles/s41...