Announcing the establishment of the Center for Cell Therapy and Transplant to be directed by David L. Porter, MD
May 22, 2025
We are delighted to announce the establishment of the new Center for Cell Therapy and Transplant (CCTT) at the Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM) and the appointment of David L. Porter, MD, the Jodi Fisher Horowitz Professor in Leukemia Care Excellence and professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, as the inaugural Director.
Penn Medicine is built on innovation and ingenuity, and we are pioneers in groundbreaking research and clinical care. Dr. Porter, internationally recognized for his expertise in blood and marrow stem cell transplantation (BMT) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, will lead the new CCTT, which will provide innovative cell therapies to improve and ultimately save lives. Its mission is four-fold:
(i) implement the most effective cell therapies in the safest setting, regardless of disease,
(ii) offer curative stem cell transplant options for every patient in need,
(iii) maintain a comprehensive and unmatched clinical trial portfolio in cell therapy and stem cell transplantation, and
(iv) provide infrastructure and easy access for all disciplines offering cell therapies to patients.
Under Dr. Porter’s direction, the CCTT will function as PSOM’s authority to direct and support cell therapy across Penn Medicine, providing a unified approach of care delivery across UPHS to balance and maximize patient care, high quality, and safety, with program and health system needs and priorities. The Center will provide leadership and infrastructure support to promote development of novel and powerful therapies that will benefit as many patients as possible with cancer and beyond. A growing number of preclinical and translational research studies at Penn and elsewhere hold remarkable promise for cancer patients as well as patients with other diseases, perhaps most immediately, those with autoimmune disorders. The CCTT will coalesce experts across disciplines and join forces with the wealth of Penn Medicine expertise at the Abramson Cancer Center, the Institute for Immune Health, the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies, and the Colton Center for Autoimmunity.
Dr. Porter is a distinguished physician-scientist who blends visionary research acumen with the most compassionate patient care. His career spans foundational domains that set the stage for the CCTT to make a pivotal impact -- from careful development of research protocols to care at the bedside of patients participating in first-in-human trials to development of the complex operations needed to deliver newly approved cell therapies. Dr. Porter has helped establish Penn’s national leadership in BMT and is a core member of the celebrated Penn Medicine team which developed the first FDA-approved CAR T cell therapy for leukemia and lymphoma.
We are excited about the work that will come from the CCTT and are grateful to Dr. Porter for serving in this important role, which will continue to solidify Penn Medicine’s strong leadership in and dedication to cancer care and cell therapy excellence.
