Session 2: Panel Discussion, Cell Therapy in Multiple Myeloma, and MCL and CAR-T

Andrzej Jakubowiak, MD, PhD, is a professor of medicine in the Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, and director of the Myeloma Program at The University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, USA. 

Dr. Jakubowiak earned his medical and doctoral degrees from the Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland. After moving to the United States, he completed residency in internal medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas and fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell University in New York, New York. After graduation, he established myeloma program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor MI and after moving to Chicago, IL at the University of Chicago. He directed both to ranks of leading myeloma programs in the United States.

Dr. Jakubowiak is internationally known expert and the primary investigator for many national and international clinical trials, contributing to the development of most of the approved drugs and

treatment regimens in multiple myeloma, most recently, Cilta-Cel CART. He has authored or coauthored numerous articles in such journals as The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Blood, among others as well as book chapters, and is frequently invited as lecturer at major national and international meetings. 

He is a member of the American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium, international Myeloma Society, and Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology-Cancer and Leukemia Group B, and holds several leadership positions.

His many honors include winning the Myeloma Center of the Year Award twice, once in 2008 and again in 2010. He received the 2014 Accelerator Award, presented to the best Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium program in North America by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. Prof. Jakubowiak was recognized by his peers as a “Top Cancer Doctor” by Newsweek Magazine and by Chicago Magazine.

Adam DuVall, MD, MPH, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer for adolescents and young adults. Dr. DuVall completed training in both adult and pediatric hematology/concology making him uniquely qualified to care for patients spanning pediatrics to adulthood. He focuses on the care of patients with acute leukemias, lymphoma and complex cancer predisposition syndromes. As part of the Adolescent Young Adult Cancer Program, he provides comprehensive cancer care for teenage and young adult patients with cancer.

As a clinician-scientist, Dr. DuVall explores translational and clinical research, finding ways to adapt new treatments/therapies into bedside care for young teens with cancer. His innovative clinical trials bring novel therapies to the forefront of leukemia treatment and his collaboration with basic scientists allows him to examine novel therapeutic options for genetic syndromes. Dr. DuVall also recognizes the impact of cancer therapy on all aspects of his patients’ lives, so he participates in research aimed at decreasing the impact of therapy on the psychosocial development of his patients.

Hongtao Liu, MD, PhD is currently associate professor of medicine at University of Chicago, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of leukemia, stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. Dr. Liu aims to develop novel therapies to fight leukemia and prevent disease relapse. He is an active member of ASH, ASCO, ASBMT and CAHON.