The Science of Hope: Exploring Cell Therapy

September 19, 2025

Carl June, MD: Director, CCI

Welcome
Brief introduction to the series and welcome remarks.

 

 

 

Daniel Goodman, PhD: Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology

Session: The Immune System
"Beyond protecting you from infections, your immune system has an important regulatory role in your body and plays a central role in many diseases, including cancer. This session introduces the key cell types and pathways of the immune system, and how innate and adaptive responses work together."

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October 17, 2025

Andrew Rech, MD, PhD: Instructor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Session: Cancer

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November 21, 2025

Julie Jadlowsky, PhD: Director, Translational Research Operations

Session: Cell Engineering - Part 1

 

 

 

Andrew Fesnak, MD: Deputy Director, CACT

Session: Cell Engineering - Part 2

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December - NO SESSION - Happy Holidays!

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January 16, 2026

Elizabeth Hexner, MD: Medical Director

Session: Cell Therapy for Blood Cancers

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February 20, 2026

Joseph Fraietta, PhD: Assistant Professor, Microbiology

Session: Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors
Dr. Fraietta will provide a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art cell therapy strategies for solid tumors, including CAR T cells and other adoptive immunotherapies. He will delineate the principal obstacles posed by the tumor microenvironment and showcase emerging translational approaches devised to overcome these barriers.

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March 20, 2026

Session: Gene Therapy
In this session, students will explore how gene therapy treats genetic diseases by correcting or replacing defective genes.
We'll focus on sickle cell disease (SCD), a blood disorder caused by a single mutation, and learn how scientists are developing ways to "fix" this mutation using cutting-edge tools like CRISPR.
Students will also learn about lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), tiny bubbles that deliver gene-editing tools into cells. We'll highlight research from Dr. Musunuru’s lab, where LNPs were used to deliver a customized base editing machinery to an infant’s liver to correct a CPS1 mutation. This was the first personalized, in vivo CRISPR therapy in a human, and the patient, KJ, is doing remarkably well.
By the end of the session, students will understand the basics of gene therapy, why it holds so much promise for diseases like SCD or CPS1 deficiency, and how innovation in delivery technologies is shaping the future of medicine.

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April 10, 2026

James Riley, PhD: Professor, Microbiology

Session: Cell and Gene Therapy for Indications Beyond Cancer