2026 Gene Therapy and Vaccines Program Retreat

Welcome to our annual gathering!

We are excited to host the 5th annual GTV Retreat at the Inn at Swarthmore
- 10 S Chester Rd, Swarthmore, PA 19081 -

The venue is steps from Septa's Swarthmore station stop on the Media-Wawa line.

Google Maps Link

Septa Schedule

Abstract Book (Pennkey protected)

 

Friday, August 21, 2026

9:00 - 10:00 AM

Registration and poster setup

Lobby

Session 1

10:00 AM

Jonathan Miner, MD, PhD & Gina Young, PhD - GTV Chair & Vice Chair

Introduction and Welcome Remarks

10:10 AM

Nan Zhang, PhD - The Wistar Institute

Leveraging macrophage activation in metastatic ovarian cancer

10:25 AM

Madison Sangster, 4th year - Bennett lab

Engineering synthetic receptors to direct macrophage cell state

10:40 AM

Audrey Bochi-Layec, 5th year - Ruella lab

Elimination of pathogenic B cells and autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus using CAR T cells against IGHV4-34 B cell receptor

10:55 AM

Lucie Guo, MD, PhD - Department of Ophthalmology

Synthetic biology for ophthalmic gene therapy

Lunch and Poster Blitz

11:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Pick up food in the lobby

Come back to the meeting room for the poster blitz!

Poster Session

12:00 - 1:00 PM

Poster Session

Lobby. All presenters should be at their posters for the duration of the session.

Session 2

1:00 PM

Elena Kahn, 5th year - Musunuru lab

Correction of a recurrent pathogenic variant in methylmalonic acidemia using adenine base editing

1:15 PM

Jackson Bauer, 5th year - Peranteau lab

Base and prime editing to correct the most common non-deletional mutation in alpha thalassemia

1:30 PM

Jennifer Orthmann-Murphy, MD, Phd - Department of Neurology

Targeting glial cells for remyelination

1:45 PM

Michael Kuckyr, 6th year - Davidson lab

Direct base editing of the HTT repeat mimics protective Huntington's disease alleles attenuating somatic expansion

2:00 PM

Ross England, MD, PhD - Department of Pediatrics

Engineering an mRNA vaccine against measles

2:15 PM

Jonathan Miner, MD, PhD - Department of Medicine

Precision PROTAC therapy for a genetic disease

Coffee & Snack Break

2:30 PM

Coffee & Snack Break

Lobby

Session 3

2:45 PM

Melody Tan, 5th year - Ruella and Wherry labs

Cancer-associated Smarca4 mutations augment CD8 T cell responses against infection and cancer

3:00 PM

Daniel Shapiro, 5th year - Hunter & Bennett labs

Role of IFN-gamma in maintaining microglial reactivity during resolution of infection

3:15 PM

Noah Ford, 4th year - Berger & O'Connor labs

Metabolomic profiling informs nutrient supplementation strategies to mitigate CAR T cell exhaustion

3:30 PM

Lauren Olenick, 4th year - Hogan lab

Investigating the role of IL-1 signaling in reactogenicity and immunogenicity of clinical mRNA-LNP vaccines in mice

Keynote Address

3:45 PM

Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, MPH, ML, MRA

Barry J. Gertz Professor for Translational Research · Co-Director, Orphan Disease Center, Penn Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia · Director, Genetic and Epigenetic Origins of Disease Program, Penn Cardiovascular Institute

Therapeutic gene editing for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases

Closing Reception

4:45 - 5:45 PM

Closing Reception

Lobby