ASGCT Press Release

Cornetta Assumes Leadership of American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT)

SAN DIEGO-Kenneth G. Cornetta, MD, was elected President of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy today, the final day of the organization’s 12th Annual Meeting. He will serve as President through May 2010.

ASGCT is the largest medical professional association for scientists, researchers and educators dedicated to the research of gene and cell therapies for treatment of disease.

Cornetta said a primary initiative of his presidential year will be the continued fostering of gene and cell therapy science, with the goal of seeing treatments through clinical trials and increasing accessibility to patients.

“In terms of the science, this is the most exciting time to be leading ASGCT,” Cornetta said. “We have seen so many exciting advances and we are now challenged to deliver these results to patients.”

Cornetta plans to also focus on support for young investigators, increased membership among cell therapists and reinstituting training courses as part of the ASGCT Annual Meeting.

Cornetta is Joe C. Christian Professor and chairman of the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Indiana University, as well as professor of medicine and of microbiology and immunology. He is coordinating director of National Gene Vector Laboratories and director of the Indiana University Vector Production Facility.

His laboratory has been interested in the use and production of clinical grade retroviral and lentiviral vectors. This production facility, as a participant in the NIH sponsored National Gene Vector Laboratory program, has certified over 30 vectors for clinical trials throughout the US. Dr. Cornetta's lab has also conducted clinical trials in the setting of bone marrow transplantation and is currently evaluating optimization of lentiviral constructs for ex vivo and in vivo delivery.

Cornetta has been involved in ASGCT for more than 10 years. Prior to his election as Vice President in 2007, beginning his three-year ascension to the presidency, he was the organization’s Secretary, and thus Abstract Chair, from 2004-2007 and was a member of the Board of Directors from 2002-2004. He has also served as chair of the Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Viral Gene Transfer Vectors Committee, and was a member of the Clinical and Regulatory Affairs, Viral Gene Transfer Vectors, Education and Program Committees.

Past-President David M. Bodine, MD, PhD, National Human Genome Research Institute, will serve one year as an ex-officio member of the ASGCT Board of Directors and five years on the organization’s Advisory Council.

Barrie J. Carter, PhD, assumed the office of President-Elect, while R. Jude Samulski, PhD, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, was elected as Vice President.

New Board of Directors members are Helen E. Heslop, MD, Baylor College of Medicine; Stephen J. Russell, MD, PhD, Mayo Clinic; and Brian P. Sorrentino, MD, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Katherine P. Ponder, MD, Washington University School of Medicine, was elected to the Advisory Council.

The American Society of Gene Therapy (ASGT) 12th Annual Meeting is the world’s largest scientific meeting surrounding the latest developments in gene and cell therapy, attended by nearly 2,000 researchers from around the world and featuring 60 scientific presentations.

The American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) is a professional non-profit medical and scientific organization dedicated to the understanding, development and application of genetic and cellular therapies and the promotion of professional and public education in the field. For more information on ASGCT, visit its website, www.asgct.org.

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