Principal Investigator

                                         

Marco Ruella, MD

Marco Ruella, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine
 mruella@upenn.edu

Marco Ruella, MD, is Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies and Scientific Director of the Lymphoma Program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the study of the mechanisms of relapse after chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CART) immunotherapies with the goal of rationally designing combined innovative immunotherapies for relapsing/refractory leukemia and lymphoma. He is the author of numerous peer-reviewed publications on targeted immunotherapies for hematological cancers and is an inventor in several patents on CAR T therapy. His work has been recognized through numerous awards including the inaugural SITC EMD-Serono Cancer Immunotherapy Clinical Fellowship (2014), the AACR-BMS Oncology Fellowship in Clinical Cancer Research (2015), the ASH Scholar Award (2016), a NIH K99-R00 award (2017), the “Paola Campese” Award Leukemia Research (2017), the Cancer Support Community Award (2018), and most recently the 2018 American Society of Hematology Joanne Levy, MD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement. Dr. Ruella obtained his medical degree with high honors and completed his specialization in clinical hematology at the University of Torino, Italy. After completing his fellowship, he was an attending physician in the Hematology and Cell Therapy Division of the Mauriziano Hospital and an Instructor at the Biotechnology School at the University of Torino. From 2012, he was a postdoctoral fellow, and then an instructor at the University of Pennsylvania in the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies where he worked with Drs. June and Gill until appointment to his current position in 2018.

Academic Appointment

2018-pres Member, Richards Society (tenure-track faculty), UPenn

2018-pres Scientific Director, Lymphoma Program, Abramson Cancer Center, UPenn

2018-pres Co-leader Cancer Research, Institute for Immunology (IFI, now I3H) Executive Committee, UPenn

2019-pres  Full Member, Abramson Cancer Center, Immunobiology Program

2019-pres Member and Admission Committee (2020-pres), Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Gene Therapy and Vaccines (GTV), UPenn

2020-2022 Admission Committee, Cell & Molecular Biology Graduate Group, Gene Therapy and Vaccines (GTV), UPenn

2019-pres Member, Bioengineering graduate group, UPenn

2019-pres Member, Pharmacology graduate group, UPenn

2024-pres Trainer, T32 HL 07439 and Abramson Cancer Center T32, UPenn


Honors & Awards

2018 Cancer Support Community of Philadelphia Award

2018 Patent award, 3rdAnnual Celebration of Innovation, Penn Center for Innovation

2018 Joanne Levy, MD, Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement, American Society of Hematology (ASH)

2019 Dr. Thomas A. and Joyce E. Pearson Endowed Lecture at the 8th Medical Scientist Research Symposium, University of Rochester, NY

2019 Patent Award, 4th Annual Celebration of Innovation, Penn Center for Innovation

2020 Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation Award

2020 Emerson Collective Award

2020 Patent Award, 5th Annual Celebration of Innovation, Penn Center for Innovation

2020 Selected as ISNAFF mentor (Mentee: Dr. Patrizia Mondello, MSKCC)

2020 Lymphoma Research Foundation, Clinical Investigator Career Development Award

2021 Selected as ISNAFF mentor (Mentee: TBD)

2021  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Translational Research Program

2021 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation, HCL2020-25 program Translational Grants

2022 Alan Steinberg Scholars in Cancer Research Award, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania

2022 Patent Award, 6th Annual Celebration of Innovation, Penn Center for Innovation

2023 Elected member American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI)

2023 Patent Award, 7th Annual Celebration of Innovation, Penn Center for Innovation