Dean Lee, MD, PhD
Dean Lee, MD, PhD, has been named the Director of the Cellular Therapy and Cancer Immunotherapy Program for Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Division of Hematology/Oncology/Blood and Marrow Transplant and Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases. Dr. Lee will also serve as the Director of Cellular Therapy at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC)–James, and as an Attending Physician on the Blood and Marrow Transplantation (BMT) service at Nationwide Children’s.
The collaboration is dedicated to pursuing clinical trials and translational research to develop innovative immune treatments, including the use of advanced cellular therapy. By combining knowledge of the immune system with the power of stem cell transplantation, advanced cellular therapy aims to enhance the body’s immune system to eliminate cancer while reducing the harmful side effects of toxic therapies.
“This joint partnership between Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the James Cancer Hospital has incredible potential to lead the field of immuno-oncology. The patient resources, intellectual assets, and advanced facilities all support the potential for rapid advancements in the field,” said Dr. Lee. “The future is very bright for cellular therapy, and I am proud to lead a team that will leverage the potential of these institutions to advance these new therapies for patients everywhere.”
Dr. Lee’s laboratory research and clinical trial work within the cellular therapy program will impact the outcomes of BMT by manipulating cells to prevent or reduce graft-vs-host disease, infection, and disease relapse.
Dr. Lee also will act as Director of the Cellular Therapies program to take place in the new Good Manufacturing Practice production facility in The Research Institute. Another part of this facility produces potential gene therapy products aimed at treating childhood diseases such as cancer and neuromuscular disorders, a key element of the research taking place in The Center for Gene Therapy in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s.
Dr. Lee will also direct the cellular therapy research efforts at the OSUCCC and will partner with the clinical team at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute to expand translational research approaches to treat adult cancer patients.
Previously, Dr. Lee was the Section Chief of Pediatric Cellular Therapy and Associate Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center. ■
