Malcolm K. Brenner receives Pioneer Award for advances in gene-modified T cells targeting cancer
Malcolm K. Brenner, MD, PhD, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX) has devoted his career in basic and clinical research toward understanding how tumors are able to escape detection by the body's immune defense system, and developing genetically modified T cells that can effectively target tumors. In recognition of his scientific achievements and leadership in the field, Dr. Brenner is the recipient of a Pioneer Award from Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. Human Gene Therapy is commemorating its 25th anniversary by bestowing this honor on the leading 12 Pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy selected by a blue ribbon panel* and publishing a Pioneer Perspective by each of the award recipients. The Perspective by Dr. Brenner is available on the Human Gene Therapy website.
In "Gene Modified Cells for Stem Cell Transplantation and Cancer Therapy", Dr. Brenner recounts the highlights of his career to date. He describes the evolution of his research, which has contributed significantly to advancing the field of gene transfer using retroviral vectors in the development of both autologous (AUTO) and allogeneic (ALLO) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) approaches to cancer immunotherapy, and the strategy of using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to modify T cells stimulating their activation, proliferation, and anti-tumor activity.
Dr. Brenner received a PhD in immunology and early in his career sought to understand how B cells interact with T cells to produce antibodies. After pursuing the development of cellular therapies to treat immune disorders, Dr. Brenner shifted the focus of his research to bone marrow transplantation, or what is now called HSCT. Together with colleagues he developed and tested an approach to improve patients' immune recovery after their T cells are depleted in preparation for a transplant. As Dr. Brenner explains, "This work was the forerunner of our later efforts to improve antiviral and antitumor immunity by adoptive transfer of T cells."
"Malcolm has been driving the field of cell-based gene therapy forward since its infancy. His contributions have been truly seminal," says James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Human Gene Therapy and Director of the Gene Therapy Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
*The blue ribbon panel of leaders in cell and gene therapy, led by Chair Mary Collins, PhD, MRC Centre for Medical Molecular Virology, University College London selected the Pioneer Award recipients. The Award Selection Committee selected scientists that had devoted much of their careers to cell and gene therapy research and had made a seminal contribution to the field—defined as a basic science or clinical advance that greatly influenced progress in translational research.
Provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc