Here’s a well-earned recognition: Our Daniel “Trey” Lee’s pioneering work in battling pediatric leukemia has been honored as one of 2017’s top 10 Clinical Research Achievements by the Clinical Research Forum.
Dr. Lee’s research weaponizes immune cells, known as T cells, in pediatric and young adult clinical trial participants to recognize and kill treatment-resistant leukemia. This cutting-edge approach aims to harness the body’s immune system to destroy cancers that other treatments cannot.
A pediatric oncologist at the UVA Children’s Hospital, Dr. Lee was recruited to UVA from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute. It was there that he conducted the research that is being honored, alongside his NIH colleagues and collaborators at Stanford University.
Dr. Lee has continued his work since joining UVA in 2016, with the goal of developing new immunotherapies for other pediatric cancers. It’s truly exciting stuff, with the potential to save children’s lives, and we wish him the best.
Another nice angle to this story: This is the second year in a row that a UVA doctor has won the award for clinical research excellence. Last year, the Clinical Research Forum honored neurosurgeon Jeff Elias, MD, for his work pioneering the use of focused ultrasound to treat essential tremor, the most common movement disorder.
It’s a thrilling time to be at UVA!