Speaker Profile
PMWC LUMINARY AWARD
Pioneered CAR-T immunotherapy from concept to clinic
M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Columbia Initiative in Cell Engineering and Therapy (CICET), Columbia U.
Biography
Sadelain is a globally recognized pioneer of chimeric antigen receptor therapy, a groundbreaking approach to cancer treatment. CAR T cells are genetically engineered cells programmed to serve as living drugs. Sadelain led the development of CAR T cells targeting CD19, a molecule found on in B cell malignancies and normal B cells, and established cell manufacturing capabilities for clinical translation. This critical groundwork enabled Sadelain and his team to treat patients with refractory leukemias in 2007. By 2017, the FDA approved the first CAR therapies, specifically for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and certain lymphomas. Sadelain and his team continue to advance CAR therapies to make them safer, more effective, and more broadly applicable. Sadelain has received multiple awards for his research on human cell engineering, including most recently the Breakthrough Prize for Life Sciences, the Canada Gairdner International Award, the King Faisal prize, the Merkin prize and the Broermann Award.
Talk
New CAR Models 2026
TBD
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Priti Hegde, Kite Pharma
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia University
• Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
Keynote: Engineering the Future: Innovations in CAR-T Therapy Design
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia University
CAR-T Cell Therapies: Strategies in Mitigating Challenges in Solid Tumor Delivery
• Chair: David Barrett, Kite Pharma
• Carl June, University of Pennsylvania
• 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, 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 Cancer Center
Gene Editing & Synthetic Biology for Therapy
• Chair: Matthew Porteus, Stanford University
• Rachel Haurwitz, Caribou Biosciences
• Kole T. Roybal, Parker Institute
• Ken Drazan, ArsenalBio
In-Vivo Myeloid Programming: Engineering the Innate Immune System for Solid Tumor Therapy
• Daniel Getts, Create Medicines
Synthetic Circuits for Smarter Cell Therapies: Enhancing NK Precision and Persistence
• Gudrun Stengel, Alida Biosciences
