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Rumey Ishizawar, MD, medical director of the UNC Rheumatology Clinic, founded the multi-disciplinary UNC Immuno-Oncology Group (IOG) in 2017 to optimize clinical management of cancer patients who develop immune related adverse events (irAEs).


Rumey Ishizawar, MDThe goal of the IOG is to develop a research infrastructure to facilitate the study of mechanisms of autoimmunity versus tolerance in the immune system and the pathogenesis of rare autoimmune conditions. Since 2017, the IOG has engaged with over 30 clinicians and researchers across medical specialties in order to optimize care for cancer patients who developed irAEs.

The Immuno-Oncology Prospective Database — now open for patient enrollment — will be a well-characterized longitudinal cohort of patients with standardized clinical data and biological samples for biomarker analysis, immunophenotyping, microbiome research, and genetic analysis to facilitate basic, clinical and translational research.

Read more in the UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom.