Speaker Profile
Ph.D., Professor, U of Pennsylvania
Biography
Dr. Daniel J. Powell Jr. is a leading translational immunologist whose work has helped shape the development of cancer immunotherapy, particularly for gynecologic malignancies and other solid tumors. As a faculty member at Penn Medicine, he has played a central role in advancing immune-based approaches that move beyond conventional treatment strategies, with an emphasis on therapies that can be both mechanistically rational and clinically actionable. His lab is known for combining rigorous basic science with a clear translational mission, creating a research program that is deeply rooted in tumor immunology while remaining focused on the needs of patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.
A major strength of Dr. Powell’s program is its breadth across the immunotherapy pipeline. His team has contributed to the development and refinement of adoptive cell therapies, including CAR T cell and T cell receptor-based strategies, as well as cancer vaccination and other immune-directed approaches designed to improve anti-tumor activity in solid tumors. This work has been especially important in cancers such as ovarian and other gynecologic malignancies, where durable responses to immunotherapy remain challenging and where new biological insights are urgently needed. By pursuing both discovery and translation, the lab has helped define new therapeutic concepts while also testing how those concepts can be brought into the clinic.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2027 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Priti Hegde, Kite Pharma
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
Keynote: The Industrialization of Cell Therapy:From Autologous Pioneers to Allogeneic Frontiers
• Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
Next Generation CAR-T Cell Therapies: Expanding Targets and Enhancing Designs
• Chair: Erin Harris Cell & Gene
• David Barrett, Kite Pharma
• Carl June, University of Pennsylvania
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia University
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia University
Keynote: Engineering the Future: Innovations in CAR-T Therapy Design
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia University
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs): Advances and Challenges in Solid Tumors
• Chair: Allison Betof Warner, Stanford University
• George Coukos, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
• Max Julve, Stanford
• Stephanie Goff, NIH/NCI
Allogeneic & In Vivo Cell Therapies: Manufacturing & Clinical Progress
• Chair: Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
• Zach Roberts, Allogene Therapeutics
• Adrian Bot, Capstan Therapeutics
• Priti Hegde, Kite Pharma
Smart Scaling: Leverating AI & Automation to De-Risk Advanced Therapy Manufacturing
• Chair: Stacie Calad-Thomson
• Samuel Rodriques, FutureHouse
• Manuel Leonetti, Biohub
• Fabian Gerlinghaus, Cellares
Designing Automated Platforms for Scalable Cell Therapy Manufacturing
• Fabian Gerlinghaus, Cellares
In Vivo CAR Therapy: Immune Reprogramming Directly in Patients
• Daniel Getts, Myloid Therapeutics
Operationalizing Cell & Gene Therapy Trials in a Large Health System
•Snehit Prabhu, Stanford
Gene Editing & Synthetic Biology for Therapy
• Chair: Trevor Martin, Mammoth Biosciences
• Ken Drazan, ArsenalBio
• Lynn Seely, Lyell
• Kole T. Roybal, Parker Institute
• David Kirn, 4DMT
