Gene Therapy and Immunotherapy of Hematologic Malignancies. Hematologic malignancies, such as leukemia and lymphoma are among the most frequent human cancers. Pre-clinical and clinical studies, including bone marrow transplantation studies, demonstrated that the immune system plays a crucial role in controlling these diseases. The main goals of the laboratory are to investigate, potentiate and exploit the mechanisms underlying the immune response to hematologic malignancies through the genetic manipulation of lymphocytes.