Bruce Levine

Dr. Bruce Levine, Barbara and Edward Netter Professor in Cancer Gene Therapy, is the Founding Director of the Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility (CVPF) in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. He received a BA in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in Immunology and Infectious Diseases from the Johns Hopkins University. The CVPF develops and tests novel cell and gene therapies in clinical trials in patients with hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, HIV infection, and genetic disease. First-in-human trials include the first use of a lentiviral vector, the first infusions of gene edited cells, and the first use of lentivirally-modified cells to treat cancer. Dr. Levine has overseen the production, testing and release of 2,800 cellular products administered to >1,000 patients in clinical trials since 1996. Through these technologies, personalized and enhanced immunity has been engineered. T lymphocytes from HIV+ subjects have been rendered resistant to HIV infection and reinfused. T lymphocytes from cancer patients have been redirected with chimeric antigen receptors to hunt and destroy their malignancies. This investigational therapy received unanimous recommendation for approval by the FDA Oncologic Drug Advisory committee to treat pediatric, young adult r/r B-cell ALL. Dr. Levine is co-inventor on 23 issued US patents and co-author of >130 publications with a Google Scholar citation h-index of 68. He has been interviewed by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, National Geographic, Forbes, BBC, and other international media outlets.