Speaker Profile
M.D., Professor, Rutgers Cancer Inst.
Biography
Dr. Hinrichs is a physician-scientist who has pioneered cell therapy for HPV-associated and other epithelial cancers. He discovered tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy for HPV-associated cancers, the first cell therapy to produce durable complete responses in epithelial cancers. He also discovered gene-engineered TCR-T cell therapies targeting HPV antigens and demonstrated their safety and clinical activity. His laboratory focuses on T-cell receptor discovery, next-generation cell therapies, and mechanisms of response to immunotherapy. At Rutgers Cancer Institute, he leads a bench-to-bedside-and-back cell therapy program that uses the Cell Therapy Research Laboratory, Process Development Laboratory, and GMP Facility to bring new treatments to patients in New Jersey. Clinical trials with on-site GMP manufacturing include therapies for gastric, lung, breast, cervical, oropharyngeal, anal, and other genital cancers.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2027 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Cindy Perettie, Kite Pharma
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Katy Rezvani, MD Anderson (Luminary)
• David Miklos, Stanford (Luminary)
• Frederick Locke, Moffitt Cancer Center (Luminary)
Featured Speakers
• Katy Rezvani, MD Anderson
• David Miklos, Stanford
• Frederick Locke, Moffitt Cancer Center
• Arie Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
• Paul Hastings, Nkarta Therapeutics
• Priti Hegde, Kite Pharma
• Andrew Scharenberg, Umoja Biopharma
• Brett Staahl, Scribe Therapeutics
• Marcela Maus, Mass General Brigham / Harvard
• Antoni Ribas, UCLA
• Saul Priceman, USC
• Sabine Heitzeneder, Stanford
Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapies
NK, iPSC, and allogeneic T cells: what wins beyond autologous CAR-T.
AI in Cell Therapy: Research to Commercialization
How AI is reshaping discovery, product design, manufacturing, and clinical translation.
The Bottleneck: Manufacturing at Scale
Capacity, automation, cost of goods, and the realities of getting engineered cells to patients.
In Vivo Delivery: The Make-or-Break Layer
Targeting the right tissue safely enough to make in vivo engineering real.
Why Cell Therapies Fail in Solid Tumors and What Works
The microenvironment, antigen escape, and programs showing real responses.
Approved to Effective
Real-world outcomes, access, and what CAR-T still gets wrong after approval.
PMWC Hall of Impact
Previous Speakers Include
Nobel laureates, technology founders, regulators, CEOs and scientific pioneers who have taken the PMWC stage.
