Speaker Profile
M.D., Ph.D., VP, Cell Biology & Translational Medicine, Kite
Biography
David Barrett joined Kite as the VP of Cell Biology in September 2022 where he serves as the lead of TranslationalMedicine and the Santa Monica and Philadelphia based research teams. He received a Masters in BiomedicalEngineering, as well as a combined MDPhD from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2004.He went on to complete a Pediatrics Residency and Fellowship in HematologyOncology at the Childrens Hospitalof Philadelphia in 2010 before starting his own lab as a physician scientist. During his time in the Cellular Therapyand Transplant Section at CHOP, he worked on the preclinical models for the cell therapy product that becameknown as Kymriah. Dr. Barrett cared for CAR T cell patients at CHOP from 2012-2020 and ran his lab investigatingtranslational science on CAR T trials, resulting in observations about cytokine release syndrome and the role ofmacrophages, the nature of antigen escape and the importance of juvenile cells in the pheresis and infusion products.In 2020 he left academics and joined Tmunity Therapeutics where he oversaw preclinical development andtranslational science on the solid tumor CAR T cell programs.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Cindy Perettie, EVP Kite Pharma
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia
• Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
Keynote: Engineering the Future: Innovations in CAR-T Therapy Design
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia
CAR-T Cell Therapies: Strategies in Mitigating Challenges in Solid Tumor Delivery
• Chair: David Barrett, Kite
• Carl June, University of Pennsylvania
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs): Advances and Challenges in Solid Tumors
• Chair: Allison Betof Warner, Stanford
• George Coukos, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
• Max Julve, Royal Marsden
• Stephanie Goff, NIH/NCI
Allogeneic & In Vivo Cell Therapies: Manufacturing & Clinical Progress
• Chair: Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
• David Chang, Allogene Therapeutics
• Adrian Bot, Capstan Therapeutics
• Aliya Omer, AstraZeneca
• Priti Hegde, Kite Pharma
Designing Automated Platforms for Scalable Cell Therapy Manufacturing
Fabian Gerlinghaus (Cellares)
TCR-Based Cell Therapies: New Targets and Clinical Advances
• Chair: Diwakar Davar, UPMC
• Lauren Harshman, Clasp Therapeutics
• Cassian Yee, MD Anderson
Gene Editing & Synthetic Biology for Therapy
• Chair: Matthew Porteus, Stanford
• Rachel Haurwitz, Caribou Biosciences
• Kole T. Roybal, Parker Institute
• Ken Drazan, ArsenalBio
Synthetic Circuits for Smarter Cell Therapies: Enhancing NK Precision and Persistence
Gudrun Stengel, Alida BioSciences
