Drs. Pilon-Thomas and Rezvani are cell and gene therapy researchers at world-class cancer centers.
STAMFORD, Conn., Jan. 9, 2024 — Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) welcomes Shari Pilon-Thomas, PhD (Moffitt Cancer Center), and Katy Rezvani, MD, PhD (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center), to its 17-person Scientific Advisory Council, which is made of the most accomplished and innovative thought leaders in the field of cancer cell and gene therapy.
Dr. Pilon-Thomas is a Senior Member of the Immunology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. She is currently the Co-Director of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer (CIIRC). Dr. Pilon-Thomas received her PhD in Immunology/Microbiology from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Surgery, Tumor Immunology, Immunotherapy from University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Research focuses for Dr. Pilon-Thomas include the advancement of immunotherapy, specifically vaccine-based approaches and adoptive T-cell therapy for a wide variety of solid tumors. Her research program is one of the leading efforts in bridging the space between basic science and clinical immunotherapy trials for patients with solid tumors. She has spearheaded the optimization of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) expansion protocols and translation of TIL therapy at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Dr. Pilon-Thomas develops immunotherapeutic treatment strategies in murine models and collaborates with clinicians to develop clinical trial protocols based on her laboratory research. Her collaborations have resulted in TIL-based trials for patients with melanoma, sarcoma, bladder cancer, H&N squamous cell carcinoma, and cervical cancer. Her lab leads the immune monitoring effort on these trials for the measurement of suppressive factors and tumor-specific immune responses, results of which inform subsequent trial design.
Dr. Rezvani is a professor at MD Anderson, where she is the Sally Cooper Murray Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, a professor of medicine, the Chief of the Section of Cellular Therapy in the Department of Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy, Executive Director of the Adoptive Cell Therapy Platform, and Director of Translational Research and Medical Director of the MD Anderson GMP and Cell Therapy Laboratory.
Dr. Rezvani’s laboratory studies the role of natural-killer (NK) cells in mediating immunity against glioblastoma as well as other solid tumors and seeks to understand the mechanisms of tumor-induced NK cell dysfunction. The goal of her research is to develop strategies for genetically engineering NK cells to enhance their in vivo anti-tumor activity and persistence. With extensive experience in multi-parameter flow cytometry, CyTOF, xenogenic NSG mouse models of human cancer, and various molecular biology techniques, Dr. Rezvani leads the NK immunotherapy program at MD Anderson and translates multiple innovative strategies from bench to bedside, including a first-in-human trial of CAR NK cells in patients with lymphoid malignancies.
In addition to serving as the leader of the Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Support Grant, Dr. Rezvani has served as co-PI for the Cancer Medicine Fellowship T32 program at MD Anderson since 2018 and as a CPRIT TRIUMPH faculty mentor since 2019. She has had 19 trainees in her laboratory. Thirteen of her former trainees hold faculty positions at academic institutions. She has also served on the mentoring committees of multiple junior faculty members and the thesis committees of numerous PhD students.
“Dr. Shari Pilon-Thomas and Dr. Katy Rezvani are thought leaders in the field of cancer cell and gene therapy, and their research is helping to shape how the scientific community uses these therapies to treat the most difficult-to-treat solid tumors,” says Kevin Honeycutt, ACGT chief executive officer and president. “They are both extraordinary minds and will be valuable in helping our Scientific Advisory Council direct ACGT’s mission of funding scientists and biotech working to develop novel cell and gene therapies to transform cancer treatment.”
The conscientious and committed members of ACGT’s Scientific Advisory Council bring vision and value to the funding process, which distinguishes the foundation from many other philanthropic organizations.
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Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT)
For more than 20 years, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT) has funded scientific research to bring innovative treatment options using cancer cell and gene therapy to people living with deadly cancers. These treatments continue to save the lives of many blood cancer patients and offer new hope to all people diagnosed with cancer. Founded by Barbara and Edward Netter after their daughter-in-law’s untimely passing from breast cancer, ACGT funds talented visionaries whose scientific advancements are driving the development of groundbreaking treatments for glioblastoma, melanoma, sarcoma, lung, prostate, pediatric, pancreatic and women’s cancers.
100% of all public funds raised by Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy directly support research and programs. For more information, visit acgtfoundation.org, call (203) 358-5055, or join the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy community on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.
