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Ruella Lab
Marco Ruella, MD
Dr. Ruella obtained his medical degree with high honors and completed his specialization in clinical hematology the University of Turin, Italy. He served as an attending physician at the Hematology and Cell Therapy Division of the Mauriziano Hospital and was an Instructor at the Biotechnology School at the University of Turin. Beginning in late 2012, Dr. Ruella joined the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Cellular Immunotherapies as a Post-doctoral Fellow under the mentorship of Drs. Saar Gill and Michael Kalos, later advancing to the role of Instructor. From 2017 to 2018, he served as Associate Director of Dr. Carl H. June’s laboratory.
In 2018, Dr. Ruella was appointed Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, and also became the Scientific Director of the Lymphoma Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Throughout his career, he has been honored with numerous awards, including the inaugural SITC EMD Serono Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Fellowship (2014), the AACR-Bristol Myers Squibb Oncology Fellowship in Clinical Cancer Research (2015), the ASH Scholar Award (2016), an NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (2017), the ISNAFF “Paola Campese” Award for Leukemia Research (2017), the Cancer Support Community Award (2018), the ASH Joanne Levy, MD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement (2018), the Gilead Sciences Research Scholar in Hematology/Oncology and the Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation Award (2020), the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Translational Research Program grant (2021), the Alan Steinberg Award (2022), an NIH R01 Research Project Grant and R37 MERIT Award (2022), an NIH P01 Research Program Project Grant (2023), membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation (2023), and the Penn Inventor of the Year (2024).
Dr. Ruella serves as the Senior Editor for Molecular Cancer Therapeutics (AACR) and Associate Editor for the Journal of Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). Additionally, he is the inaugural Chair of the SITC Cellular Therapy Committee and the immediate past-Chair of the ASH Scientific Committee on Transplantation Biology and Cellular Therapy
Dr. Ruella treats patients with hematological cancers at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on novel immunotherapies. This clinical engagement allows him to connect with patients, gain insight into unmet needs in the clinic, and teach residents and fellows.
Dr. Ruella serves as a consultant for several companies and sits on the advisory boards of multiple biotech and pharmaceutical firms specializing in cancer immunotherapy. In 2021, he founded viTToria Biotherapeutics, a startup developing next-generation CAR T-cell immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. The company's first product, VIPER-001, a CD5-deleted anti-CD5 CAR T-cell therapy, is undergoing evaluation in a first-in-human clinical trial for patients with T-cell lymphoma (NCT06420089).
Research Interests
Transforming Immunotherapy, From Bench to Bedside. The Ruella Lab at the University of Pennsylvania develops next-generation immunotherapies to treat lymphoid malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Our research bridges basic science, translational discovery, and clinical trials. By biobanking patient samples, we uncover mechanisms of resistance and toxicity—and use this knowledge to design smarter, more effective treatments. Our mission is simple: translate scientific discovery into real cures for patients.
Laboratory Members
Marco Ruella, MD – PI mruella@upenn.edu
Peter Michener – Lab Manager Peter.Michener@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Rebecca Yelton – Research Administrative Coordinator rbccyltn@upenn.edu
