Michael T. Lotze, MD University of Pittsburgh

My career has been predicated on the bench to bedside to bench paradigm in cancer, starting within the Surgery Branch of the NCI. There, I championed the application of IL-2 and IL-4 as cancer therapies in patients with melanoma and renal cancer, developed adoptive transfer of NK/LAK and TIL therapies, and launched gene therapy efforts that continued when I moved to the University of Pittsburgh. At Pitt, I have developed and overseen four separate successful funded Program Project grants on cytokine gene therapy, dendritic cell (DC) therapy, the tumor microenvironment, and natural killer cell (NK) and DC integration in the treatment of patients with cancer. For the last 15 years, our group led investigative efforts on Damage Associated Molecular Pattern Molecules (DAMPs) and their receptors, specifically focusing on HMGB1 and RAGE, particularly in the area of pancreatic cancer. I have presented numerous oral and poster presentations based on our interesting focus on TIL and gamma delta T cells. My industrial experience includes positions as VP of Research in Inflammation, Tissue Repair, and Oncology at SmithKlineBeecham, VP of High Throughput Biology at GlaxoSmithKline, Chief Scientific Officer at Lion and Iovance Therapeutics, and most recently Chief Cellular Therapy Officer at Nurix Therapeutics.