Fellowship
The Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation Fellowship provides training for recent doctoral graduates (or equivalent). Please check back soon for more information.
About the Institute
The institute will integrate with MD Anderson’s unique research ecosystem, including extensive clinical and scientific expertise, to accelerate the research and development of new cell therapies from preclinical studies through clinical trials. By working closely with the James P. Allison Institute and the Institute for Data Science in Oncology, institute researchers will uncover new targets and approaches for a range of conditions. Collaborations with external researchers as well as biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies will further speed the pace of development.
Clinical and research leaders at MD Anderson will come together to form three groups that will manage and oversee the institute’s research efforts. The Executive Advisory Board will play a vital role in supporting the Institute’s strategic direction, the Internal Advisory Council will provide guidance and scientific input on the research projects and provide recommendations of new research proposals submitted to the institute and the Pipeline Review Committee will ensure research and development projects align with the institute’s overall goals and strategic objectives.
Leadership
Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President & Head, Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation
Melvyn N. Klein Family Endowed Directorship, Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation
Sally Cooper Murray Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation & Cellular Therapy
Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., completed both her undergraduate and medical education at University College London, followed by residencies at University College Hospitals and the Royal Marsden Hospital. She then completed a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Hammersmith Hospital.
Dr. Rezvani is a fellow of both the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Pathologists of the United Kingdom. She earned her doctoral degree in transplantation immunology from Imperial College London and pursued postdoctoral studies in cancer immunotherapy at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
An accomplished physician-scientist, Dr. Rezvani has received numerous honors throughout her impactful career. She was recognized with the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize from the American Society of Hematology for her groundbreaking research to develop and advance innovative cell therapies for cancer using natural killer (NK) cells. She was elected a member of the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation. Endpoints News named her one of the top 20 women leading biopharma research and development.
Dr. Rezvani’s research focuses on how NK cells, particularly cells from donated umbilical cord blood, can mediate immunity against blood-based cancers and solid tumors. The goal of her work is to understand mechanisms of tumor-induced NK cell dysfunction and to develop strategies to genetically engineer NK cells in order to enhance their anti-tumor activity and persistence.
Critical findings from Dr. Rezvani’s laboratory have led to the approval and funding of several investigator-initiated clinical trials of NK cell therapy, including the first-in-human trial for off-the-shelf, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-transduced NK cells for patients with relapsed and refractory lymphoid malignancies — which yielded astounding clinical results for some patients who had failed four or five lines of previous treatment. Today, Dr. Rezvani and her team are exploring cell therapy technology and applications in a number of cancer and autoimmune settings.
Dr. Rezvani’s work is generously supported by private philanthropy, and she has successfully stewarded grants from the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, Stand Up To Cancer, and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Collaborators
Rafet Basar, M.D.
Assistant Professor
May Daher, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Hind Rafei, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation
Internal Advisory Board Members
Bissan Al-Lazikani, M.B.C.S., F.R.S.B.
Professor of Genomic Medicine
Director, Therapeutics Data Science
James P. Allison, Ph.D.
Regental Professor and Chair of Immunology
Director, Allison Institute
George Calin, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Translational Molecular Pathology
Co-Director, The RNA Interference and Non-coding RNA Center
Co-Director, M.D./Ph.D. Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Christopher Flowers, M.D.
Division Head of Cancer Medicine
Chair of Lymphoma and Myeloma
Andy Futreal, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Genomic Medicine
Vice President of Strategic Translational Programs
David Jaffray, Ph.D.
Sr. Vice President and Chief Technology and Digital Officer
Professor, Radiation Physics
Professor, Imaging Physics
Jennifer Litton, M.D., M.H.C.M.
Professor of Breast Medical Oncology
Vice President of Clinical Research
Anirban Maitra, M.B.B.S.
Professor of Pathology and Translational Molecular Pathology
Scientific Director, Sheikh Ahmed Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research
David Marin, M.D.
Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Sattva Neelapu, M.D.
Professor and Deputy Department Chair of Lymphoma/Myeloma
Elizabeth J. Shpall, M.D.
Professor and Chair ad interim of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy
Howard and Lee Smith Chair in Cancer Research
Director, Cord Blood Bank
Director, Cell Therapy Laboratory