The Marcus Center of Excellence for Cell Biomanufacturing recently hosted its inaugural Marcus Center Distinguished Lecture, welcoming more than 160 attendees in person and virtually.   

The lecture featured Dr. Marcela Maus, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Cellular Immunotherapy Program at Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. In her presentation, “Designing the Next Generation of CAR-T Cells,” Dr. Maus shared the evolution of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies and their growing impact on cancer treatment.  

“Dr. Maus is a true leader in bringing innovations in CAR-T therapies to patients through her outstanding work leading to several first-in-human trials.  We were honored and excited to welcome her to the Marcus Center for Cell Biomanufacturing at Georgia Tech for this inaugural lecture,” stated Dr. Johnna Temenoff, Marcus Center Director. 

Drawing on her pioneering work in translation of cellular immunotherapies, Dr. Maus discussed how engineered T cells have become a standard treatment for certain blood cancers, including lymphoma and multiple myeloma. She presented innovative CAR designs, including strategies to enhance T cell function and persistence. Dr. Maus also shared ongoing efforts to overcome challenges such as treatment resistance and tumor targeting.   

Following the lecture, attendees had the opportunity to continue discussions during a community lunch and poster session, supporting collaboration and networking among members of the Atlanta cell biomanufacturing and immunotherapy community.