Research Assistant Professor
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dr. Saba Ghassemi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and a Principal Investigator at the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research integrates engineering and T cell immunology to develop next-generation CAR T cell therapies with enhanced potency, durability, and translational feasibility.
Dr. Ghassemi pioneered abbreviated CAR T cell manufacturing strategies that produce less differentiated, highly functional T cells, contributing to a successful Penn clinical trial using a 3-day manufacturing process. More recently, her laboratory developed a platform for efficient gene delivery into quiescent, non-activated T cells, enabling the generation of potent CAR T cells within 24 hours. This ultra-rapid approach holds promise for expanding patient access to CAR T therapy and is being advanced toward first-in-human clinical testing at Penn.
Her current research focuses on streamlining, standardizing, and automating CAR T cell manufacturing through simplified workflows, dedicated bioreactors, and high-resolution functional assays. These efforts aim to reduce manufacturing complexity, improve reproducibility, and broaden access to cellular immunotherapies. Dr. Ghassemi’s work has been recognized through numerous research awards, peer-reviewed publications, and patent filings.
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