(Photo: AP)

BANGKOK, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's oldest hospital on Monday announced cooperation with China's Shenzhen Geno-immune Medical Institute (GIMI) to conduct clinical research into cancer immunotherapy.

Dr. Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, and Dr. Zhang Longji, chairman of GIMI, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Research Cooperation on Monday at Siriraj Hospital.

Using GIMI's cell-based immunotherapy, Siriraj and GIMI will conduct research on gene therapies for leukemia and lymphoma, said Prasit.

"Immunotherapy was an ideal solution to patients with chemotherapy resistance," said Prasit, "The results could help lower treatment costs by over 10 times."

With the cooperation with GIMI, Siriraj Hospital will expand its immunotherapy research to other types of cancers, Prasit said.

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses a patient's own immune system to fight tumours instead of more commonly known techniques to eliminate malignant cells with radiation or drugs.

Shenzhen Genoimmune Medical Institute is founded by Shenzhen Government in 2015. The key function and goal of this institute are to provide contracted research & technical services for individually cell-based immunotherapy.