Guest Research Spotlight: Dr. Roddy O’Connor of the University of Pennsylvania

2 Aug 2018
GuestResearch

In this research spotlight, we feature Dr. Roddy O’Connor at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. O’Connor works closely with CAR-T luminaries such as Carl June, and now leads his own T cell therapy research team.

 

As CAR-T cell therapies clear the clinic and become commercially available, advances are needed to safely and effectively improve production methods. Numerous studies have shown that the clinical efficacy of T cell therapy is tied to the maturation stage of the infused cells. Naïve and central memory T cells (see figure below) have superior expansion capability, greater in vivo persistence and reduced exhaustion leading to enhanced therapeutic performance.

Even a small increase in the activity of an infusion could save many lives. In this application note, Dr. O’Connor describes an exciting new method for preserving clinically beneficial T cell phenotypes. Download your free copy to learn his methods and findings!

T cell phenotype - CCR7 and CD45RO expression

Short on time?
Watch these two summary webinars showcasing Dr. O’Connor’s work:

Preserving T cell naivety via a novel media supplementation strategy

Download the full application note

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Roddy O'Connor, B.Sc., M.S., Ph.D.
Dr. Roddy O'Connor is a Research Assistant Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania and, also serves as the Scientific Advisor for Nucleus Biologics. He is a highly regarded expert in CAR-T cell metabolism. His research emphasizes novel conditioning strategies and genetic approaches to confer unique metabolic attributes to CAR T cells. Dr. O’Connor earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology from Emory University School of Medicine and later did his postdoctoral research in Cancer Biology and T cell immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania.