REDEFINING THE
FUTURE OF CAR T
Allogene Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a single-minded focus on pioneering the development of investigational allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor T cell (AlloCAR T™) products for cancer and autoimmune disease. Led by world-class management with significant experience in cell therapy, our fully integrated, in-house team of researchers is dedicated to discovery and translational research, development, and cell manufacturing.
At Allogene, we are developing a pipeline of "off-the-shelf" CAR T cell candidates, with the goal of delivering readily available cell therapy faster, more reliably, and at greater scale to more patients.
Allogene products are investigational products only. The safety and efficacy of allogeneic CAR T investigational products have not been established and these investigational products are not approved for commercial use by the FDA.
OUR MISSION
At Allogene, our mission is to create and lead the next revolution in cell therapy by delivering to patients the first AlloCAR T™ products for blood cancers, solid tumors and autoimmune disease. As a team, working together, we believe we can redefine the future of CAR T by making AlloCAR T™ products a reality for patients.
OUR HISTORY
OUR VALUES
At Allogene, we are committed to INNOVATE, FOCUS, COLLABORATE, and LEAD. These four values are core to our organization and how, every day, we are doing what no autologous CAR T has done before.
INNOVATE
We are rooted in science and innovative in our approach to finding better solutions for treating cancer and autoimmune disease.
FOCUS
We are focused on AlloCAR T™ products, our mission, and our commitment to patients.
COLLABORATE
We are one team collaborating toward one vision.
LEAD
We have the courage and expertise to take calculated risks in order to lead the next revolution in the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease.
MANAGEMENT TEAM
We are led by a world-class management team of industry leaders who have unrivaled experience in the clinical development of cell immunotherapy.
Arie Belldegrun, M.D.
David Chang, M.D., Ph.D.
Christine Cassiano
Earl Douglas
Susie Lundeen
Tim Moore
Geoffrey Parker
Zachary J. Roberts, M.D., Ph.D.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Board of Directors comprises healthcare investors, academics, pharma industry veterans, and biotech entrepreneurs who have extensive expertise in gene and cell therapy. They guide our long-term strategic plan and assist in advancing our mission to lead the development of AlloCAR T™ products—the next revolution in immunotherapy.
Arie Belldegrun, M.D.
David Chang, M.D., Ph.D.
David Bonderman
Liz Barrett
John DeYoung
Franz B. Humer, Ph.D.
Joshua Kazam
Stephen Mayo, Ph.D.
Debbie Messemer
Vicki Sato, Ph.D.
Todd Sisitsky
Owen Witte, M.D.
SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS
Our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) comprises an accomplished group of scientific leaders who are experts in the fields of oncology, immunology, and drug discovery and development. Their strategic and scientific advice, based on vast knowledge and understanding of autologous and allogeneic similarities and differences, guides the development of our investigational AlloCAR T™ products for blood cancers, solid tumors and autoimmune disease.
Ton Schumacher, Ph.D. (Chair)
Malcolm K. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D.
Stephen J. Forman, M.D.
Stephan Grupp, M.D., Ph.D.
Donald B. Kohn, M.D.
Jae Park, M.D.
Matthew Porteus, M.D., Ph.D.
OUR PARTNERS
We have a collaboration and global license agreement for Antion’s miRNA technology, which allows for tunable and simultaneous silencing of multiple targets from a single gene construct. We plan to deploy Antion’s multiplex miRNA with other technologies to enable next-generation strategies for immune evasion and other advances in AlloCAR T™ product candidates. The collaboration also provides Allogene with exclusive global rights to commercialize products incorporating Antion technology on select targets developed during the collaboration.
We have a collaboration and global gene editing licensing agreement with Arbor Biotechnologies leveraging their CRISPR gene-editing technology to support the advancement of a next generation allogeneic CAR T platform in autoimmune disease.
We assumed Pfizer’s strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with Cellectis, with exclusive rights to develop and commercialize previously defined allogeneic CAR T therapy programs directed at select targets. We believe this alliance with Cellectis will lead to a strong pipeline of AlloCAR T™ products.
We have partnered with Foresight Diagnostics, a leader in developing ultra-sensitive ctDNA detection technologies, and will use their investigational minimal residual disease (MRD) in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) to determine enrollment eligibility for our ALPHA3 trial after 1L treatment for LBCL.
We have an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement with Notch Therapeutics, an immune cell therapy company creating universally compatible, allogeneic T cell therapies for the treatment of diseases of high unmet need, to research and develop induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) AlloCAR™ products for initial application in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma. Under the partnership, we plan to create allogeneic cell candidates from T cells or natural killer (NK) cells using Notch’s Engineered Thymic Niche (ETN) platform.
ALLO-501 and cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (previously known as ALLO-501A) are anti-CD19 AlloCAR T™ investigational products being developed under a collaboration agreement between Servier and Allogene based on an exclusive license granted by Cellectis to Servier. Servier grants to Allogene exclusive rights to ALLO-501 and cemacabtagene ansegedleucel in the U.S.
Corporate Responsibility
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report
At Allogene, our culture embraces being good to one another, taking ownership, and aiming for excellence in everything we do. These principles are fundamental to our ESG practices. Allogene prides itself on our sustainability accomplishments and know our successes are due in part to the fact that these principles are embedded within Allogene.
Allogene’s next ESG report will be available in Q1 2025.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
Allogene’s mission is to create and lead the next revolution in cancer treatment by delivering to patients the first allogeneic CAR T cell (AlloCAR T™) products for blood cancers, solid tumors and autoimmune disease.
Disease doesn’t care about your culture, race, ethnicity, gender or identity. Neither does its treatment.
We are leveraging the power of diversity to unlock the best in each of us. We will foster an inclusive environment through respect, collaboration, and open communication, and effecting change with active recruitment, internships and mentorships designed to create a stronger and better Allogene that delivers life-changing products for patients.
We are here to lead the next revolution in cell therapy, together.
Arie Belldegrun, M.D., is the Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Allogene. He currently serves as Chairman of Two River Group, UroGen Pharma, Kronos Bio, and as Co-Chairman of Breakthrough Properties. He is also on the Board of Gingko Bioworks, IconOVir, ByHeart, and is a Co-Founder and Senior Managing Director of Vida Ventures. As a visionary entrepreneur, Arie has had a distinguished tenure in the life sciences, having been closely involved with the founding and advancement of several successful biopharmaceutical companies including Cougar Biotechnology and Agensys. ZYTIGA® (abiraterone acetate), developed by Cougar, is a mainstay of therapy for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Arie also founded Kite Pharma, a recognized leader in CAR T therapy where he served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer until the acquisition of Kite by Gilead Sciences in October 2017. Arie is a Research Professor, holds the Roy and Carol Doumani Chair in Urologic Oncology, and is Director of the Institute of Urologic Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Prior to joining UCLA, Arie was at the National Cancer Institute/ National Institutes of Health as a research fellow in surgical oncology and immunotherapy under Dr. Steven A. Rosenberg. He has authored several books on oncology and more than 500 scientific and medical papers related to urological cancers, immunotherapy, gene therapy and cancer vaccines. He is also certified by the American Board of Urology and is a member of the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons. He completed his M.D. at the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, his post-graduate studies in immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and his residency in urologic surgery at Harvard Medical School.
David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Allogene. He has an industry-leading track record of innovation in the field of oncology drug development, including the development of YESCARTA® (axicabtagene ciloleucel), the first CAR T therapy approved for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He previously served as Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Medical Officer of Kite, a Gilead Company. From 2002 to 2014, he held senior leadership roles at Amgen, including Vice President of Global Development and Head of Hematology-Oncology. During this time, David spearheaded personalized therapy strategies underlying the success of VECTIBIX® (panitumumab). He also provided therapeutic area leadership to pivotal programs for BLINCYTO® (blinatumomab), a bispecific T cell engager antibody in acute lymphocytic leukemia and for IMLYGIC® (talimogene laherparepvec), a first-of-its-kind oncolytic immunotherapy in melanoma. Prior to joining Amgen, David held dual appointments as Associate Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). David also currently serves as an advisor to Vida Ventures and is Chairman of the Board of IconOVir. He obtained a B.S. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and both an M.D. and Ph.D. from Stanford University. David completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a fellowship in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral fellow.
Tim Moore is the Executive Vice President, Chief Technical Officer of Allogene. He oversees product sciences, supply chain, manufacturing, quality and technical operations. Tim has more than three decades of leadership experience in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and operations and was responsible for the global development of two of the most successful autologous CAR T manufacturing processes in the industry. Prior to roles as Chief Operating Officer of Instil Bio, and President and Chief Operating Officer of PACT Pharma, Tim was Executive Vice President, Technical Operations at Kite Pharma (now a Gilead company) from 2016 to 2019, where he was responsible for the process development, manufacturing, quality and supply chain for YESCARTA®, the first FDA approved CAR T therapy for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He and his team also developed the manufacturing process for Kite’s second FDA approved autologous CAR T therapy, TECARTUS®. Tim previously served as Senior Vice President, Head of Global Technical Operations – Biologics of Genentech, Inc. and as a member of the Genentech Executive Committee where he oversaw global leadership for more than 7,500 professionals across 10 internal sites and over 37 contract manufacturing organizations, as well as global manufacturing and end-to-end quality supply performance of more than 20 biological product families. He also serves as a Board member for Cerus and BioLife Solutions. He received a B.S. in chemical engineering from Tulsa University and an M.S. in engineering management from Northwestern University.
Geoffrey (Geoff) Parker is the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Allogene. He is a seasoned biotech and banking executive with nearly 40 years of leadership experience managing world-class finance and business development organizations. Geoff has directed and managed a broad range of strategic business and finance initiatives, including equity and debt financing, initial public offerings, and business development transactions. Prior to joining Allogene, Geoff served as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Tricida, Inc., which focused on the development of an investigational drug candidate for metabolic acidosis in patients with chronic kidney disease. Prior to that, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Anacor Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Pfizer in 2016 for approximately $5.2 billion, and served as a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, where he led the West Coast Healthcare Investment Banking group. In addition, Geoff currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Better Therapeutics and of Perrigo Company plc. He earned a B.A. with a double major in Economics and Engineering Sciences from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Christine Cassiano is the Executive Vice President, Chief Corporate Affairs and Brand Strategy Officer and one of the founding members of Allogene. Christine is a communications executive with wide experience in investor relations, corporate communications, media relations, brand strategy and public affairs. Christine’s career is distinguished by the development of integrated communications strategies for companies with novel therapies such as YESCARTA® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) and BOTOX®/BOTOX® Cosmetic (onabotulinumtoxinA). Prior to Allogene, Christine served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Investor Relations for Kite until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences in 2017. Prior to that, she was the Head of Healthcare for W2O Group (now Real Chemistry). In 2012, Christine co-founded ARC2 Communications & Media, a boutique agency that developed groundbreaking platforms for some of the largest companies in healthcare. Before, she served as Senior Vice President and Co-Director, Healthcare, at Hill + Knowlton Strategies. Christine also held senior global communications roles in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including Amgen, which also included an expatriate assignment in Switzerland overseeing all European communications, Allergan and Abraxis BioScience. Some of Christine’s career achievements include a SABRE Silver Anvil Award for the launch of BOTOX® Cosmetic (Allergan), an In2 SABRE Award for the Most Innovative Brand/Agency Collaboration (Pfizer/ARC2), and PR Week’s 40 Under 40. Christine serves as a Senior Strategic Advisor to Urogen Pharma and Vida Ventures. She holds a B.A. from California State University, Fullerton and Investor Relations Certification (IRC) from the University of California, Irvine.
Zachary (Zach) Roberts, M.D., Ph.D., is the Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Medical Officer of Allogene. Zach is a trained immunologist and board-certified oncologist with extensive experience in clinical oncology, including the development of cell therapies. Before joining Allogene, Zach was Chief Medical Officer of Instil Bio, where he led development of both clinical and pre-clinical programs. Prior to that, Dr. Roberts held various roles of increasing responsibility at Kite Pharma (acquired by Gilead in 2017), where he was instrumental in the development and execution of the ZUMA trials across multiple indications for YESCARTA®, the first autologous CAR T therapy approved for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Before joining Kite, Zach led several solid tumor studies at Amgen. He holds an M.D. and Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and completed clinical and post-graduate training at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Stephen Hardt is the Senior Vice President Supply Chain and External Manufacturing for Allogene, overseeing the planning, sourcing, manufacturing, logistics and distribution of our AlloCar T™ products. Stephen has extensive experience in technical operations, supply chain strategy, manufacturing and portfolio management. Prior to joining Allogene, he worked for Genentech for 15 years where he held various senior leadership roles, most recently as the Vice President of Technical Product Management and Network Strategy. In this role, Stephen developed and executed product strategies for a portfolio of over 40 products and led the biologic and small molecule CMC team system, and his team oversaw numerous global product launches including Tecentriq®, Ocrevus® and Hemlibra®. At Genentech, Stephen was also the Global Head of Contract Manufacturing Operations, providing leadership for a broad external network of drug substance, drug product and clinical manufacturing sites. Prior to joining Genentech, he held various leadership roles across the biotech and diagnostic industries. Stephen holds a B.S. Degree in Biology from the University of California, San Diego.
Susie Lundeen is the Chief People Officer of Allogene. Susie has held leadership roles in the full life cycle of global human resources, talent acquisition, operations, mergers and acquisitions, and business expansion at several biotechnology companies. She was most recently with Unity Biotechnology where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer for six years. Prior to Unity, Susie was Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Kythera Biopharmaceuticals where she was responsible for designing and implementing all people systems supporting the company, from early product development to drug approval and eventual commercial launch until its acquisition by Allergan. From 2005 to 2007, Susie was Vice President of Human Resources and Administration at Activus Healthcare Solutions, Inc., a healthcare company that was acquired by PSS, Inc. Prior to that experience, she held various positions at Amgen, including an expatriate assignment to support the build-out of Amgen’s world-wide distribution facility in the Netherlands. She also served as Strategic HR Business Partner for Research & Development, and ultimately served as Senior Director of Human Resources responsible for Strategic Staffing and Succession Planning. Susie received a B.A. in psychology and business administration from California Lutheran University and is a trustee on the university’s Board of Regents.
Earl Douglas is the General Counsel and Compliance Officer of Allogene. Earl has over 35 years of experience as an attorney, serving as legal counsel for publicly traded biotech and medical device companies as well as start-ups. In these roles, Earl advised management and boards on a wide range of legal and strategic matters, including corporate governance, SEC filings, commercial transactions, intellectual property strategy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, litigation, and compliance programs. Most recently, Earl served as General Counsel of Applied Molecular Transport. Prior to that role, he served in the same capacity for Kiverdi. He has also served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at BioMimetic Therapeutics (acquired by Wright Medical Group), Spinal Dynamics (acquired by Medtronic), and OPX Biotechnologies (acquired by Cargill). He previously served as Counsel with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, and earlier in his career practiced as an Associate with Weil, Gotshal & Manges. Earl holds a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
David Bonderman is Lead Independent Director of Allogene and Chairman and Founding Partner of TPG. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and graduated from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review and a Sheldon Fellow. David serves on a number of public and private Boards, including China International Capital Corporation Ltd, Cushman & Wakefield, Ryanair Holdings, plc, of which he is Chairman, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, the Grand Canyon Trust, and The Wilderness Society, as well as various academic and advisory boards.
Debbie Messemer has more than 30 years of experience providing financial expertise to public and private companies and was the Managing Partner of KPMG’s Bay Area and Northwest region until her recent retirement. Debbie, a certified public accountant (CPA), joined KPMG LLP, the U.S. member firm of KPMG International, in 1982 and was admitted into partnership in 1995. As Managing Partner for the Bay Area and Northwest region, she was responsible for leading over 3,000 team members in 10 offices across all functions, including audit, tax and advisory. Debbie spent the majority of her career in KPMG’s audit practice as an audit engagement partner serving public and private clients in a variety of industry sectors. In addition to audit signing responsibilities, she has significant experience in SEC filings, due diligence, initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions, and internal controls over financial reporting. Debbie is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) and of the San Francisco Chapter of Women Corporate Directors (WCD). She has served extensively on non-profit and advisory boards including the Bay Area Council, the San Francisco Committee on Jobs, the California Chamber of Commerce, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the UC Berkeley Fisher Center Policy Advisory Board, San Francisco Ballet, and Posse. Debbie received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Franz Humer is Chairman of Neogene Therapeutics and HMNC Brain Health. He is a Board Director of Cydar and Emil Frey Holdings and an Advisor to Temasek Holdings, Letterone Healthcare and Breakthrough Properties. In 1995, he joined Hoffmann-La Roche as a member of its Board and the head of its Pharmaceutical Division, progressing to become Chairman and CEO in 2001, and between 2008 and 2014 the Chairman of Roche Holding Limited. Franz joined the Board of Diageo in 2005, became Chairman in 2008 and retired in 2016. Before joining the Roche Group, he was the managing director of Glaxo Pharmaceuticals UK and Member of the Board of Glaxo Holdings plc. He progressed to be responsible for Research, Business Development, Manufacturing, Commercial Strategy, and all non-U.S. Operations for 13 years. Before that, he held various general management positions in Latin America and Europe for Schering-Plough Corporation. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children and Chairman of the Humer Foundation. Franz earned a Ph.D. in law from the University of Innsbruck, Austria and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.
John DeYoung is Vice President of Worldwide Business Development for Pfizer Oncology. He is a member of the Oncology Leadership Team and the Worldwide Business Development Leadership Team. John joined Pfizer in 1991 and has held leadership positions in Finance, Marketing, Commercial Development and Business Development. He received a bachelor’s degree in business from Michigan State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Joshua is a Co-Founder and Director of Allogene Therapeutics. Joshua Kazam is a Co-Founder and Partner of Two River, where he has served as Partner since its inception in 2004. He is a Co-Founder and Partner of Vida Ventures, LLC, a life science investment firm, and was a Co-Founder and Director of Kite Pharma, where he served on the Board of Directors from inception until its acquisition by Gilead Sciences in 2017. Joshua also serves as a Director of several privately held companies including Kronos Bio, Hubble Contacts, ByHeart Inc, and Breakthrough Properties, LLC. Joshua is a Member of the Wharton School’s Undergraduate Executive Board and serves on the Board of the Desert Flower Foundation. He received his B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Liz Barrett is the President and CEO of UroGen Pharma, a biotechnology company that develops and commercializes treatments for urologic and uro-oncological conditions. At UroGen, Liz spearheaded the 2020 approval of Jelmyto® for the treatment of low-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma. She previously served as CEO of Novartis Oncology, where she managed the development and launch of the autologous CAR T therapy Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel). Prior to her tenure at Novartis, she held several leadership positions at Pfizer, including Global President and General Manager of Oncology, and led the rollout of Ibrance®. She has also held leadership roles at Cephalon and Johnson & Johnson. Ms. Barrett currently serves on the Board of Directors of Sage Therapeutics.
Owen Witte, M.D., is a University Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, and Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA, where he holds the President’s Chair in Developmental Immunology at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. For 30 years, he was also an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Witte is also a member of the National Academy of Science and National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Witte currently serves on the Board of Directors of Allogene and previously served on the Board of Directors and the Scientific Advisory Board of Kite Pharma. He completed his postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Cancer Research, working in the lab of Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baltimore. Dr. Witte also completed predoctoral research training in the lab of Dr. Irving Weissman while a medical student at Stanford University. He received his B.S. with highest honors in microbiology from Cornell University and his M.D. from Stanford University.
Stephen (Steve) Mayo is the Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry and Merkin Institute Professor at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, California. He served as Vice Provost for Research at Caltech from 2007 to 2010 and Chair of its Division of Biology and Biological Engineering from 2010 to 2020. Dr. Mayo also serves on the Board of Directors of Merck & Co and Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. He co-founded Molecular Simulations, Inc. (currently Accelrys/Biovia), a computational chemistry company; Xencor, Inc., a publicly traded bio-therapeutics company focused on developing next generation biologics for treating cancer; and Protabit, LLC, a privately held protein engineering company focused on the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for protein engineering applications. In addition, he serves on the scientific advisory boards of Vida Ventures, Rubryc Therapeutics and Evozyne. Dr. Mayo was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 for his pioneering contributions in the field of protein design. He served as an elected board member for the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 2010 to 2014 and as a presidential appointee on the National Science Foundation’s National Science Board from 2013 to 2018. Dr. Mayo holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Caltech, and he completed postdoctoral work at both UC Berkeley and Stanford University School of Medicine in chemistry and biochemistry, respectively.
Todd Sisitsky is the President of TPG Inc. and Co‐Managing Partner of TPG Capital, TPG's scale private equity business in the U.S. and Europe and co‐leads the firm's investment activities in the healthcare services, pharmaceuticals, and medical product sectors. He also serves on TPG's board of directors and co‐chairs the firm's management committee. He has played leadership roles in connection with TPG’s investments in Allogene Therapeutics, Adare Pharmaceuticals, Aptalis, Biomet, Ellodi Pharmaceuticals, Fenwal, Healthscope, Immucor, IQVIA Holdings, Inc. (and predecessor companies IMS Health and Quintiles), Monogram Health, Par Pharmaceutical and Surgical Care Affiliates. Mr. Sisitsky currently serves on the public company board of directors of IQVIA Holdings and on the private company board of directors of Confluent Medical Technologies and Monogram Health. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College, where he graduated summa cum laude, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Mr. Sisitsky serves on the Board of Trustees at Dartmouth as well as the international non-profit, Grassroot Soccer.
Vicki Sato served as President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals where she was responsible for research and development, business and corporate management, and commercial, legal and financial operations. Before joining Vertex, Dr. Sato was Vice President of Research at Biogen, Inc., where she led programs in inflammation, thrombosis, and HIV and contributed to the executive management of the company. She also served as a member of the Biogen Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Sato began her career as a Professor in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard University and then returned to academia from 2006-2017 to serve as a Professor of the Practice in Molecular and Cell Biology at Harvard University and a Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School. Dr. Sato is currently on the Board of Directors at Denali Therapeutics, Vir Biotechnology and Akouos.
Ton Schumacher, Ph.D., serves as Senior Member at the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam and Professor of Immunotechnology at Leiden University Medical Center. He completed his Ph.D. at The Netherlands Cancer Institute where he studied the interactions of MHC class I molecules with antigenic peptides in the laboratory of Dr. Hidde Ploegh. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Ploegh’s lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he joined the group of Dr. Peter Kim at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Mass. Ton later returned to the Netherlands Cancer Institute to study the development of tumor-specific T cell immunity through biotechnological approaches. Ton is a recipient of, among others, the Amsterdam Inventor Award, Queen Wilhelmina Cancer Research Award, San Salvatore Award, Meyenburg Cancer Research Award, and William B. Coley Award, and is founder of three biotechnology companies in the area of immuno-oncology.
Donald B. Kohn, M.D., is Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics (MIMG) and Pediatrics, Director of the UCLA Human Gene and Stem Cell Therapy Program, and a member of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. He received a B.S in biology and an M.S. in microbiology from the University of Illinois-Urbana and an M.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Donald completed a pediatric internship and residency at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and a medical staff fellowship in the Metabolism Branch of the National Cancer Institute. He was at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, USC Keck School of Medicine for 21 years, where he rose to the rank of professor and served as Head of the Division of Research Immunology/Bone Marrow Transplantation. Donald previously served as President of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy and the Clinical Immunology Society. Donald is the recipient of an Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Award from the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, a Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC) Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Jae Park is Associate Attending Physician in the Division of Hematologic Oncology, Leukemia Service, a Director of Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Program and the Acting Chief of Cellular Therapeutics Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York. Dr. Park received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and completed an internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital and a hematology/oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Park has written numerous peer-reviewed articles appearing in New England Journal of Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, Blood, Cancer Discovery and Journal of Clinical Oncology. His research – which focuses on translating and establishing novel targeted and immunotherapies for patients with hematologic malignancies – has been recognized and funded by the The American Society of Hematology, The American Association for Cancer Research, The American Society of Clinical Oncology, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, The Geoffrey Beene Research Foundation, and The National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Widely recognized as one of the world experts in cell therapies, Dr. Park is the leading principal investigator of several clinical trials in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Dr. Brenner is the Fayez Sarofim Distinguished Service Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and founding director of the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at the Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, and Houston Methodist Hospital. As a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Brenner’s expertise spans cell and gene therapy, molecular and human genetics, pediatrics, and translational biology & molecular medicine. His primary research interest is the use of gene transfer to augment the immune response to human tumors, using vaccines and adoptive transfer of genetically modified T cells. Dr. Brenner is also member of the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Brenner holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, a M.B.Ch.B. from Westminster Medical College, and a B.S. from the University of Cambridge.
Matthew Porteus, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics, Divisions of Hematology/Oncology and Human Gene Therapy at Stanford University School of Medicine. He completed his combined M.D./Ph.D. at Stanford, with his Ph.D. focused on understanding the molecular basis of mammalian forebrain development. After completing his dual degree program, Matthew completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and a pediatric hematology/oncology fellowship in the combined Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute program. For his fellowship and postdoctoral research, he worked with Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baltimore at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Caltech where he began his studies in developing homologous recombination as a strategy to correct disease-causing mutations in stem cells as definitive and curative therapy for children with genetic diseases of the blood, particularly sickle cell disease. Following his training with Dr. Baltimore, Matthew took an independent faculty position at UT Southwestern in the Departments of Pediatrics and Biochemistry before returning to Stanford as an Associate Professor.
Stephan Grupp, M.D., Ph.D., is the Novotny Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and the Section Chief of Cellular Therapy and Transplant, Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program, and Medical Director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Lab at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Over 200 scientific publications have been generated by Dr. Grupp’s research, and he has received numerous achievement and impact awards for his contributions to the cell therapy and oncology fields, including election to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Grupp has extensive experience with cell therapy clinical development and commercialization, having led all of the pediatric/young adult ALL trials leading to the first FDA (and now international) approval of a CAR T therapy. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed fellowship training at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Forman is the Francis & Kathleen McNamara Distinguished Chair in Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and leader of the Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute and Director of the T Cell Therapeutics Research Laboratory at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. An expert in leukemia, lymphoma and bone marrow transplantation, Dr. Forman has served at City of Hope for more than 40 years, deeply involved with the translational and clinical research at City of Hope’s Toni Stephenson Lymphoma Center, Center for CAR T Cell Therapy, Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research and the Gehr Family Center for Leukemia Research. Dr. Forman was recognized by the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation as the 2019 E. Donnall Thomas Lecturer, and awarded the 2019 DKMS Mechtild Harf Science Award. Dr. Forman holds an M.D. from the University of Southern California and a B.A. from St. John’s College.