My research focuses on preclinical development, bench-to-bedside translation, and clinical evaluation of novel cellular immunotherapeutic approaches, with an expertise in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-)T cell therapy.

A CAR is comprised of an extracellular antigen recognition domain linked to intracellular T cell signaling domains, which after introduction into the T cell enables T cell activation upon encounter with the target antigen. Clinical trials of CAR-T cells targeting CD19 have demonstrated impressive results in the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies such acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), with response rate >80% for some cancers, highlighting the promise and feasibility of this cellular therapeutic approach.

My laboratory aims to: (a) develop CAR-T cells targeting other malignancies, such as myeloma, and (b) modify CAR-T cells so as to improve efficacy and decrease toxicity. We are exploring multi-antigen targeting approaches, modifications to the CAR construct, and different approaches to T cell manufacturing.

My clinical research with the Leukemia/BMT Program of BC focuses on the development of a CAR-T program in BC and involvement in clinical trials of CAR-T cell therapy.

Check out the above video. Dr. Hay provides a research and clinical trial update from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada's Leukemia Conference held November 9, 2019 at VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visitor Centre in Vancouver. In this video: Megan Norrish, BC Community Engagement Manager for the LLSC; Dr. Florian Kuchenbauer, clinical scientist, associate professor at UBC; Dr. Kevin Hay, hematologist, assistant professor at UBC.

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Selected Publications

Discovery and preclinical development of a therapeutically active nanobody-based chimeric antigen receptor targeting human CD22.

Molecular therapy. Oncology, 2024
McComb, Scott, Arbabi-Ghahroudi, Mehdi, Hay, Kevin A, Keller, Brian A, Faulkes, Sharlene, Rutherford, Michael, Nguyen, Tina, Shepherd, Alex, Wu, Cunle, Marcil, Anne, Aubry, Annie, Hussack, Greg, Pinto, Devanand M, Ryan, Shannon, Raphael, Shalini, van Faassen, Henk, Zafer, Ahmed, Zhu, Qin, Maclean, Susanne, Chattopadhyay, Anindita, Gurnani, Komal, Gilbert, Rénald, Gadoury, Christine, Iqbal, Umar, Fatehi, Dorothy, Jezierski, Anna, Huang, Jez, Pon, Robert A, Sigrist, Mhairi, Holt, Robert A, Nelson, Brad H, Atkins, Harold, Kekre, Natasha, Yung, Eric, Webb, John, Nielsen, Julie S, Weeratna, Risini D
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CLIC-01: Manufacture and distribution of non-cryopreserved CAR-T cells for patients with CD19 positive hematologic malignancies.

Frontiers in immunology, 2022
Kekre, Natasha, Hay, Kevin A, Webb, John R, Mallick, Ranjeeta, Balasundaram, Miruna, Sigrist, Mhairi K, Clement, Anne-Marie, Nielsen, Julie S, Quizi, Jennifer, Yung, Eric, Brown, Scott D, Dreolini, Lisa, Waller, Daniel D, Smazynski, Julian, Gierc, Nicole S, Loveless, Bianca C, Clark, Kayla, Dyer, Tyler, Hogg, Richard, McCormick, Leah, Gignac, Michael, Bell, Shanti, Chapman, D Maria, Bond, David, Yong, Siao, Fung, Rachel, Lockyer, Heather M, Hodgson, Victoria, Murphy, Catherine, Subramanian, Ana, Wiebe, Evelyn, Yoganathan, Piriya, Medynski, Liana, Vaillan, Dominique C, Black, Alice, McDiarmid, Sheryl, Kennah, Michael, Hamelin, Linda, Song, Kevin, Narayanan, Sujaatha, Rodrigo, Judith A, Dupont, Stefany, Hawrysh, Terry, Presseau, Justin, Thavorn, Kednapa, Lalu, Manoj M, Fergusson, Dean A, Bell, John C, Atkins, Harold, Nelson, Brad H, Holt, Robert A
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The response to lymphodepletion impacts PFS in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with CD19 CAR T cells.

Blood, 2019
Hirayama, Alexandre V, Gauthier, Jordan, Hay, Kevin A, Voutsinas, Jenna M, Wu, Qian, Gooley, Ted, Li, Daniel, Cherian, Sindhu, Chen, Xueyan, Pender, Barbara S, Hawkins, Reed M, Vakil, Aesha, Steinmetz, Rachel N, Acharya, Utkarsh H, Cassaday, Ryan D, Chapuis, Aude G, Dhawale, Tejaswini M, Hendrie, Paul C, Kiem, Hans-Peter, Lynch, Ryan C, Ramos, Jorge, Shadman, Mazyar, Till, Brian G, Riddell, Stanley R, Maloney, David G, Turtle, Cameron J
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Factors associated with durable EFS in adult B-cell ALL patients achieving MRD-negative CR after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy.

Blood, 2019
Hay, Kevin A, Gauthier, Jordan, Hirayama, Alexandre V, Voutsinas, Jenna M, Wu, Qian, Li, Daniel, Gooley, Ted A, Cherian, Sindhu, Chen, Xueyan, Pender, Barbara S, Hawkins, Reed M, Vakil, Aesha, Steinmetz, Rachel N, Schoch, Gary, Chapuis, Aude G, Till, Brian G, Kiem, Hans-Peter, Ramos, Jorge D, Shadman, Mazyar, Cassaday, Ryan D, Acharya, Utkarsh H, Riddell, Stanley R, Maloney, David G, Turtle, Cameron J
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