ACGT to honor Crystal Mackall, MD, at Awards Luncheon.

Crystal Mackall, MD, of Stanford University, is a pioneer in cancer cell and gene therapy. 

Dr. Mackall, an ACGT Research Fellow and a member of ACGT’s Scientific Advisory Council, has been a leader in the advancement of cell and gene therapies for the treatment of solid tumors, with a major focus on children’s cancers. She has led numerous groundbreaking clinical trials to treat children with sarcomas and brain cancers. 

ACGT is proud of Dr. Mackall’s trailblazing work in cell and gene therapy, and we’re excited to present The Edward Netter Leadership Award to Dr. Mackall on March 30 at the ACGT Awards Luncheon. The event will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Riverpark restaurant at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, located at 450 E. 29th St., New York City.

Find more information about the Awards Luncheon on ACGT’s website where you can purchase tickets to the event. If you are unable to attend the ACGT Awards Luncheon, you may still show your support by making a donation toward ACGT’s Research Fellows and programs.

If you have any questions about the event or reserving a seat or table, please contact Keri S. Eisenberg, CFRE, Chief Philanthropy Officer.

Recognizing cell and gene therapy advancements during Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month.

March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer diagnosed in approximately 35,000 people in the U.S. each year.

Multiple myeloma patients have more treatment options now thanks to advancements in cancer cell and gene therapy. There are two FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies for multiple myeloma: Abecma and Carvykti. Abecma was approved in March of 2021, and Carvykti was approved in February of 2022.

Visit the ACGT website to find a list of all the FDA-approved cell and gene therapies for cancer.

Give your way with Donor-Advised Funds

Simple. Convenient. Flexible. Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs) are a great way to maximize your charitable tax benefits today while supporting the causes you care about over time.

Already have a DAF? Support ACGT and become a champion in our vision of a cancer-free future. Contact your fund administrator to designate ACGT (our tax ID # is 06-1619523) as one of your ongoing beneficiaries.

New to Donor-Advised Funds? Think of DAFs as your charitable savings account. Contribute to a sponsoring organization (such as your local community foundation, Fidelity charitable fund, or the National Philanthropic Trust). You’ll receive tax benefits for the year when you open a DAF. Then you’ll direct distributions from your account to the charities of your choice each year. 

For more information on DAFs, please visit the ACGT website or contact Keri Eisenberg at (475) 400-4373 or keisenberg@acgtfoundation.org.

In the news

The latest from around the cancer cell and gene therapy research world.

• The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health has released new funding opportunities, including cancer cell and gene therapy.
• Cargo Therapeutics, a cell therapy biotech from Stanford CAR-T leader and ACGT Scientific Advisory Council member Dr. Crystal Mackall, raises $200M for phase 2 large B-cell lymphoma clinical trial.
• The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) celebrated the career of legendary immunologist and ACGT Scientific Advisory Council member Carl H. June, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, with a March 11 screening of the award-winning documentary “Of Medicine and Miracles.”
• ACGT Fellow Dr. Khalid Shah and investigators at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital have developed a new cell therapy approach to take cancer cells and transform them into cancer killers and vaccines.