Welcome to our July 2025 newsletter.
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Robyn Stacy-Humphries, MD: From patient, to survivor, to leader.
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For Robyn Stacy-Humphries, MD, diagnosing cancer was her day job. So, when the practicing radiologist in North Carolina felt a lump in her neck that should not have been there, she knew what she was facing.
That lump turned out to be the beginning of a difficult battle with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which reoccurred multiple times and required many rounds of treatment. Her options few, Stacy-Humphries took a shot at something new.
In 2016, Dr. Stacy-Humphries became one of the earliest patients to receive CAR-T therapy in the United States when she joined the JULIET trial at Ohio State University. The therapy saved her life – now, nearly a decade later, she continues to thrive, living an active lifestyle and leading a support group for patients also undergoing CAR T.
Her message to those patients: that cell and gene therapy is a lifeline.
Read more about Dr. Stacy-Humphries’ inspirational survivor story on our website.
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Philip Greenberg, MD puts decades of experiences to work on pancreatic cancer breakthroughs.
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While considerable effort has been expended in researching effective treatments, a pancreatic cancer diagnosis is still greatly challenging for both patients and their physicians with 5-year survival rates at approximately 13%, according to the American Cancer Society.
That’s why Philip Greenberg, MD – one of the preeminent experts in cell and gene therapy development – has turned his attention towards pancreatic cancer. After losing his father to the disease and seeing little progression in survival rates, he’s bringing his lifetime of expertise to advance effective cell and gene therapies for pancreatic cancer.
ACGT is funding Dr. Greenberg’s research through the Edward Netter Memorial Investigator Award in Cell and Gene Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer Research, co-funded by the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research.
Read more about Dr. Greenberg’s research on our website.
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Swim Across America holds its 19th annual open water swim to benefit ACGT.
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On Saturday, June 21, over 400 swimmers hit the water in Stamford, CT for the 19th annual Swim Across America-Fairfield County (SAA-FC) open water swim benefiting ACGT, continuing a relationship that has helped 15 ACGT Research Fellows break barriers in the fight against cancer.
This year’s event raised over $400,000 for ACGT, adding to a total that has topped $6 million over the last 19 years. As always, the effort was led by local fundraising teams, and the event featured guest speaker Chris White, a cancer survivor who has spoken at past ACGT events about how cell and gene therapy saved his life.
ACGT thanks Swim Across America for its continued partnership, and for its help making waves to fight cancer!
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Why Give Now? Your Donor Advised Fund Can Accelerate Cancer Breakthroughs.
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We are living in a time of unprecedented promise for cancer patients — but progress depends on more than just scientific discovery. It depends on visionary donors like you.
The science is here. The potential is extraordinary. But barriers remain — and private philanthropy is the catalyst that can bridge the gap.
If you have a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), you already hold a powerful tool to accelerate hope. With a few simple steps, you can recommend a grant from your DAF to fuel pioneering research and help ensure more patients — like Dr. Robyn Stacy-Humphries — have access to lifesaving treatments.
Robyn’s remarkable recovery from aggressive lymphoma is a testament to the promise of cell and gene therapy — and the power of those who choose to invest in it.
DAFs provide flexibility, immediate impact, and a way to drive breakthroughs without affecting your daily finances. The need for action is now.
Designate Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy as one of your ongoing beneficiaries today, and be part of transforming the future of cancer care.
ACGT’s tax ID number is 06-1619523.
For more information about using your DAF to support ACGT, click here or contact Keri Eisenberg, Chief Philanthropy Officer at (475) 400-4373.
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Learn more about sarcoma during Sarcoma Awareness Month.
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July is Sarcoma Cancer Awareness Month! This class of cancers forms in the bones or soft tissue, such as muscles, fat, nerves and tendons. Approximately 13,000-16,000 people in the U.S. each year are diagnosed with a sarcoma cancer.
But the tide is turning. In August, afami-cel became the first TCR-T therapy ever approved by the FDA, and the first new treatment for metastatic or unresectable synovial sarcoma in a decade. Joanna Brewer, PhD, the Chief Scientific Officer at Adaptimmune, presented on the findings from the afami-cel trial at ACGT Summit 2025 in March.
ACGT funds novel cell and gene therapy research to advance therapies to patients in need. We have funded research focused on sarcomas and 14 other types of cancer.
Please read more about the cancer research we fund on our website.
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ACGT SAC members present during FDA cell and gene therapy roundtable.
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On June 5, the FDA held a cell and gene therapy roundtable discussing rare disease and cancer therapies, and the opportunity to consider products from the patient and family point of view. Leading experts, including ACGT Scientific Advisory Council members and Research Fellows Dr. Carl June and Dr. Crystal Mackall were invited to share with the FDA progress and challenges, but most importantly the incredible potential cell and gene therapies bring to curing diseases.
Key comments from Drs. June and Mackall are below, and you can watch the video footage on the ACGT website.
“A regulatory environment that nurtures innovation and gives investors confidence is critical to keep industry and academia working together on US soil. The future of medicine with cell and gene therapy is at stake. We must act now to modernize our regulatory pathways,” Dr. June said.
“The scientific advances that we have witnessed are just nothing short of spectacular. It’s not hyperbole. It’s not overstated. We could never have imagined at the time the power and precision that we can now endow into human immune cells… The glass is half full. But despite this unconditional scientific success, the field is really struggling to deliver these therapies to all patients who can benefit. In the adult space, we only have market penetration at about 20%. But in pediatrics, we have essentially a complete market failure,” said Dr. Mackall.
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The latest on cancer cell and gene therapy from around the world.
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