Dr. Yazan Samhouri
Hematologist, AHN Cancer Institute

Training the immune system to attack cancer cells has emerged over the years as an effective treatment for some types of malignancies.

Dr. Yazan Samhouri is taking immunotherapy a step further by leading clinical research in a novel approach that has the potential of revolutionizing treatment for those with solid tumors.

Born in Jordan, Samhouri says he’s always been interested in how the immune system works.

He joined AHN in 2018, where he also volunteers at free cancer screenings and speaks at cancer support groups. In his clinical research, a patient’s immune cells, or T-cells, are removed and grown and stimulated in a lab and then infused back into the patient.

This method supercharges the immune cells to fight the tumor. He’s tested the approach on about a dozen cancer patients so far and results look promising.

“We’re hoping it will change the game,” he says.