Michel Sadelain, a renowned immunologist and cancer researcher, has been appointed the inaugural director of the Columbia Initiative in Cell Engineering and Therapy (CICET) and the director of the Cancer Cell Therapy Initiative at Columbia’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Sadelain, who comes to Columbia from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is a pioneer of CAR T-cell immunotherapy, a revolutionary treatment that reprograms patients’ T cells into “living drugs” to combat cancer. His research laid the groundwork for the first FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies for blood cancers in 2017.
At CICET, Sadelain will collaborate with other Columbia scientists to explore new applications for cell engineering, targeting other cancers as well as neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, and transplant-related conditions. The initiative will recruit leading scientists; enhance Columbia’s research infrastructure; and integrate trailblazing work in fields like bioengineering, systems biology, and artificial intelligence.
