Precision Diagnosis, Cell-Based Immunotherapy and Robotic Surgery for Urologic Cancers

01Specialized Care and Integrated Treatment

Prostate cancer is difficult to detect early, and survival in advanced disease remains limited. Our department has built three core capabilities. Oncology case managers and multidisciplinary tumor boards provide continuous care from diagnosis to treatment.

02Clinical Outcomes

DCV outcomes are from a single-center retrospective matched study (22 DCV patients vs 25 controls). Median radiographic progression-free survival was not reached in the DCV group, versus 33.0 months among controls (p=0.004). These findings do not guarantee an individual patient's treatment outcome.

03Research Innovation and Representative Publications

Xenogeneic Cell Immunotherapy

Since 2021, Dr. Chi-Ping Huang and his team have developed an original therapeutic concept: using xenogeneic cell rejection to activate antitumor immunity. Xenogeneic rejection has long been regarded as a barrier to transplantation. The team turns this immune response to therapeutic use, developing porcine tissue-specific cells into a first-in-class xenogeneic cell cancer immunotherapy platform.

The platform has been validated preclinically across breast, pancreatic and bladder cancer models. Xenogeneic cells given by intratumoral injection or intravesical instillation induce local and systemic antitumor immune responses, turn immunologically “cold” tumors “hot”, and act synergistically with chemotherapy or PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Local immunotherapy for bladder cancer is the most advanced line of translation.

The work has progressed from concept (2021) to validation in animal models (2021–2023) and to mechanistic and preclinical safety studies (2023–2026), with regulatory preparation for an IND application under way. Over the past five years, this research has been published in eight representative journal articles.

Future work will focus on three directions: a human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) co-culture system to define human immune recognition of xenogeneic cells and tumor microenvironment remodeling; extension of the platform to renal cell carcinoma through porcine kidney cell immunotherapy; and completion of an IND application to launch a Phase I/IIa clinical trial in BCG-unresponsive non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

This platform remains at the preclinical and regulatory-preparation stages; the proposed trial is not presented as an approved clinical service.

Representative Articles (2021–2026)

1. Huang CP, Wu CC, Shyr CR. Combination of novel intravesical xenogeneic urothelial cell immunotherapy and chemotherapy enhances anti-tumor efficacy in preclinical murine bladder tumor models. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2021;70. doi:10.1007/s00262-020-02775-6. PMID: 33156394
2. Huang CP, Yang CY, Shyr CR. Utilizing Xenogeneic Cells As a Therapeutic Agent for Treating Diseases. Cell Transplant. 2021 Jan-Dec;30:9636897211011995. doi: 10.1177/09636897211011995. PMID: 33975464; PMCID: PMC8120531.
3. Huang CP, Liu LC, Chang CC, Wu CC, Shyr CR. Intratumoral xenogeneic tissue-specific cell immunotherapy inhibits tumor growth by increasing antitumor immunity in murine triple negative breast and pancreatic tumor models. Cancer Lett. 2022 Oct 1;545:115478. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.10.044. Epub 2022 Jul 25. PMID: 35902043.
4. Huang CP, Lu HL, Shyr CR. Anti-tumor activity of intratumoral xenogeneic urothelial cell monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy in syngeneic murine models of bladder cancer. Am J Cancer Res. 2023 Jun 15;13(6):2285-2306. PMID: 37424801; PMCID: PMC10326576.
5. Huang CP, Liu LC, Lu HL, Shyr CR. Effects of hepatocyte growth factor on porcine mammary cell growth and senescence. Biomedicine (Taipei). 2023;13(1):13-21. doi:10.37796/2211-8039.1392
6. Shyr CR, Liu LC, Chien HS, Huang CP. Immunotherapeutic agents for intratumoral immunotherapy. Vaccines (Basel). 2023;11(11):1717. doi:10.3390/vaccines11111717
7. Shyr CR, Wu CF, Yang KC, Ma WL, Huang CP. Evaluating therapeutic efficacy of intravesical xenogeneic urothelial cell treatment alone and in combination with chemotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibition in a mouse non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer model. Cancers (Basel). 2025;17(15):2448. doi:10.3390/cancers17152448
8. Liu LC, Shyr CR, Lin TY, Wu CF, Shih CK, Ma WL, Yang CY, Huang CP. Preclinical safety assessment and immunological evaluation of xenogeneic mammary cells of porcine origin, utilized as an intralesional immunotherapeutic agent. Cell Transplant. 2026 Jan-Dec;35:9636897251406337. doi: 10.1177/09636897251406337. Epub 2026 Mar 11. PMID: 41810572; PMCID: PMC12979918.

04Certifications and Awards

Manufacturer-accredited da Vinci case observation center for urologic oncology.

05Care Team and Patient Access

Urologic Oncology Team

Team lead: Dr. Chi-Ping Huang, Director, Department of Urology (also convener of the robotic surgery team).

Cell-based immunotherapy, MRI/ultrasound fusion biopsy and high-resolution micro-ultrasound biopsy are provided by teams led by Dr. Chi-Ping Huang. Robotic surgery is performed by the Urology da Vinci surgical team.

For cell therapy consultation, contact the Cell Therapy Center. For referrals, contact the CMUH Referral Center.