Catherine Bollard, M.D., an internationally recognized pioneer in cellular therapy, is determined to fight malignant and viral diseases by strengthening the body’s own immune system.

High on her list of goals is developing new cell therapies to treat children with solid tumors, which have a poor prognosis. Her dedication to T-cell therapies extends to adults too, including those who are immune suppressed with viral infections and patients with cancers more likely to relapse.

“The future is very exciting,” said Dr. Bollard, who spoke at UT Southwestern in the spring as the Carole Mendelson, Ph.D., Distinguished Visiting Professor. During her visit, Dr. Bollard delivered the keynote lecture titled “Virus-Specific T-Cell Therapies: Broadening Applicability.”

Members of the Women in Science and Medicine Advisory Committee gather for a photo with Catherine Bollard, M.D., (seated, third from left) the Carole Mendelson, Ph.D., Distinguished Visiting Professor.

Every year, the Women in Science and Medicine Advisory Committee (WISMAC) selects an influential researcher for the Distinguished Visiting Professor Keynote Lecture. Dr. Bollard’s decades of work on cellular therapy made her an ideal choice for the 2024 WISMAC event.

The organization celebrates women who are accomplished in science and medicine, said Anne Satterthwaite, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Immunology and a WISMAC faculty representative. In addition to presenting a lecture, Visiting Professors also meet with trainee groups.

“It’s a way to highlight them as role models as well as showcase their work,” Dr. Satterthwaite said. “Dr. Bollard was selected because she has done outstanding, groundbreaking work and she is a great mentor and advocate.”

WISMAC has presented the Visiting Professor Keynote Lecture annually since 1994. The event was originally named the Ida M. Green Distinguished Visiting Professorship after the late Mrs. Green, who championed careers for women in science.

Event renamed in Dr. Mendelson’s honor

This year’s event on April 3 was renamed to honor Carole Mendelson, Ph.D., a founding member of WISMAC who passed away last year. Dr. Mendelson, a UTSW Professor of Biochemistry and Obstetrics and Gynecology, championed the promotion of women in science as an active member of the Endocrine Society. She had been a continuous member of WISMAC and co-chaired the committee for 12 years.

This year’s event was renamed to honor Carole Mendelson, Ph.D., a founding member of WISMAC who passed away last year.

She also served as President of the UT Southwestern Faculty Senate from 1992-1993 and as President of the Society for Reproductive Investigation from 2022-2023. Dr. Mendelson was known for her dedication to science and commitment to fostering the careers of students and postdocs.

“She lived the WISMAC mission and worked tirelessly to make UT Southwestern a place for women and everyone else to thrive,” Dr. Satterthwaite said.

The high-profile work of Dr. Bollard lives up to the standards set by the committee, as did the lecture that would have made Dr. Mendelson proud. The researcher spoke about growth in the use of T-cell therapy to treat cancer and viruses.

This year’s WISMAC program also featured a Celebration of Women in Science and Medicine Poster Session on March 7.

Therapies for tomorrow

“Virus-specific T-cell therapies are the future,” Dr. Bollard said. “They are effective in preventing and clearing multiple diseases, including HIV, EBV+ (Epstein Barr virus-positive) lymphoma, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), and norovirus.”

T-cell therapy involves collecting a patient’s cells, growing them in a lab, and then giving them back to the patient. Once the T cells are infused into the patient’s bloodstream, they recognize and attack cancer cells.

Extremely sick patients have had good outcomes with T-cell therapies, and some are still in remission a decade later, Dr. Bollard said. The therapy has been approved for some forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and other blood cancers. Not only is the therapy effective at preventing and clearing multiple viral diseases, but it is also a safe therapy with low toxicity, she added.

“We can probably make cells target any virus,” she said. “In five years, we will be preventing and not just treating any virus.”

Graduate students, postdoctoral trainees, and junior faculty were invited to submit abstracts for the WISMAC 2024 event, with $500 travel awards presented to the top six posters.

Over two decades, Dr. Bollard has been studying the efficacy of tumor- and virus-specific T cells for treating cancer.

The New Zealand native joined Washington, D.C.-based Children’s National Research Institute in 2013. There, she serves as Director of both the Center for Cancer and Immunology Research and the Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy and is an Attending Physician in the Division of the Blood and Marrow Transplantation. In addition, Dr. Bollard is a Professor of Pediatrics and of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine at George Washington University and Associate Center Director for Translational Research and Innovation within the George Washington Cancer Center.

This year’s WISMAC program also featured a Celebration of Women in Science and Medicine Poster Session on March 7, which was preceded by a History of Women in Science and Medicine Lecture led by IF/THEN Ambassadors and WISMAC members Julie Mirpuri Hathiramani, M.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, and Danielle Robertson, O.D., Ph.D., Professor of Ophthalmology.