The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) today announced the appointments of Ansu Satpathy, MD, PhD, Julia Carnevale, MD, and Saar Gill, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, as Co-Directors of the PICI Centers at Stanford Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Pennsylvania, respectively. These appointments reflect PICI’s strategy to leverage leaders with expertise in translating scientific discoveries into innovative cancer immunotherapies, accelerating the development of breakthrough treatments through collaboration.

The new Co-Directors are distinguished leaders in cancer immunotherapy research. Dr. Satpathy, a longstanding PICI Investigator and former Parker Bridge Scholar, has made significant advances in T cell immunotherapies and genomics. Dr. Carnevale has pioneered innovative approaches in T cell engineering and large-scale CRISPR screening. Dr. Gill is known for his numerous contributions to cellular therapy and genetic engineering for blood cancers.

Importantly, these leaders bring extensive expertise at translating scientific discoveries into new technologies and treatments, as well as building the companies that will deliver them to patients. Dr. Satpathy has co-founded biotech companies including Cartography Biosciences and Immunai, which are applying advanced genomics to enhance immunotherapy development. Dr. Gill has launched Carisma Therapeutics and Interius Biotherapeutics, moving novel cell therapies from lab to clinic. Dr. Carnevale’s patented CRISPR screening method is propelling the creation of next-generation cell therapies, laying the groundwork for future biotech ventures.

“In Drs. Satpathy, Carnevale and Gill, we have leaders who bridge the gap between scientific discovery and advancing new treatments to patients,” said PICI Chief Scientific Officer John Connolly, PhD. “Each is a leading expert in their field, with a shared passion for advancing cancer immunotherapy and a commitment to collaborating across institutions to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies.”

At Stanford Medicine, Dr. Satpathy joins Crystal Mackall, MD, Director of the PICI Center at Stanford Medicine, and Co-Director Mark Davis, PhD, in site leadership.

“Ansu brings a rare combination of scientific insight and translational expertise to his new role as Co-Director of our PICI Center,” said Dr. Mackall. “His groundbreaking work in immunogenomics, coupled with his success in launching multiple biotechnology ventures, demonstrates his ability to transform complex biological concepts into viable clinical strategies. This blend of scientific rigor and practical application is essential for accelerating our progress in cancer immunotherapy.”

Dr. Carnevale joins the leadership of the PICI Center at UCSF, partnering with Center Director Kole Roybal, PhD. She succeeds Lawrence Fong, MD, who has joined the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle as Scientific Director of the Immunotherapy Integrated Research Center (IIRC). PICI thanks Dr. Fong for his leadership and contributions to the PICI Center at UCSF.

“Julia’s pioneering work in CRISPR-based T cell engineering brings a unique and powerful skillset to our team,” said Dr. Roybal. “As a physician-scientist, she’s the ideal clinical counterpart to our research efforts, bridging bench discoveries with therapeutic applications. Her leadership will be key in translating our advanced engineered immune cell therapies from the lab to patients.”

Rounding out the trio of appointments, at Penn, Dr. Gill joins Carl June, MD, Director of the PICI Center at the University of Pennsylvania and E. John Wherry, PhD, Center Co-Director.

“Saar’s exceptional expertise in translational research, combined with his novel insights from regenerative medicine, will undoubtedly propel our immunotherapy efforts at the PICI Center. I look forward to our continued scientific partnership in advancing transformative cancer treatment modalities,” said Dr. June.

About the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is radically changing how cancer research is done. Founded in 2016 through a $250 million gift from Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker, with an additional $125 million commitment announced in 2024, the San Francisco-based nonprofit is an unprecedented collaboration between the country’s leading immunotherapy researchers and cancer centers. PICI Network research institutions include Stanford Medicine; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, San Francisco; the University of Pennsylvania; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Gladstone Institutes; and Weill Cornell Medicine. PICI also supports top researchers at other institutions, including The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, City of Hope, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Institute for Systems Biology and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. By forging alliances with academic, industry and nonprofit partners, PICI makes big bets on bold research to fulfill its mission: to accelerate the development of breakthrough immunotherapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases. Find out more at parkerici.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Meet the PICI Network’s New Co-Directors

Ansu Satpathy, MD, PhD

PICI Appointment: Co-Director, PICI Center at Stanford Medicine

Current Role: PICI Investigator; Associate Professor of Pathology and Immunology, Stanford University; Investigator, Gladstone-UCSF Institute of Genomic Immunology and Stanford Cancer Institute

Education: MD and PhD in immunology, Washington University in St. Louis; Clinical residency and postdoctoral training in genetics, Stanford University

PICI Recognition: Named Parker Bridge Fellow in 2017

Research Expertise: Combining cancer biology, immunology and high-throughput genomics to enhance cancer-fighting T cells

Focus Areas: Optimizing T cell immunotherapies, developing advanced genomic tools for immunology, translating discoveries into novel clinical therapeutics

Translational Impact: Co-Founder of Cartography Biosciences, Immunai, Santa Ana Biosciences and Prox Biosciences; Partner at Wing Venture Capital

Dr. Satpathy’s Collaborative Vision: “At PICI, we’re not just sharing data—we’re sharing a vision. By harnessing PICI’s collaborative network and translational expertise, we aim to create a seamless pipeline from genomic discovery to clinical application, rapidly transforming our insights into immune cell behavior into novel therapeutic strategies.”

Julia Carnevale, MD

PICI Appointment: Co-Director, PICI Center at UCSF

Current Role: PICI Investigator; Researcher at the Gladstone-UCSF Institute for Genomic Immunology; Assistant Professor of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, UCSF; Attending in the UCSF GI Oncology Clinic

Education: MD in cancer biology, Harvard Medical School; Internal medicine residency and oncology fellowship, UCSF

Research Expertise: Reprogramming immune cells for cancer therapies; large-scale CRISPR screens in primary human T cells

Focus Areas: Discovering genes regulating immune cell responses to inhibitory cues; developing novel strategies to engineer new biological programs into therapeutic immune cells

Translational Impact: Inventor of patented genome-wide CRISPR screening method in primary human T cells; GI oncologist involved in developing and running experimental cell therapy clinical trials for solid tumor patients

Dr. Carnevale’s Collaborative Vision: “PICI’s network offers an unparalleled platform to accelerate the translation of our genomic discoveries into transformative cell therapies. By combining our expertise in high-throughput T-cell engineering with PICI’s collaborative infrastructure, we can rapidly identify and validate new targets to enhance the efficacy and durability of cancer immunotherapies.”

Saar Gill, MBBS, PhD, FRACP

PICI Appointment: Co-Director, PICI Center at the University of Pennsylvania

Current Role: Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

Education: MBBS and PhD in immunology, University of Melbourne, Australia; Hematology training at St. Vincent’s Hospital, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Australia; Postdoctoral fellowship in cellular therapy, Stanford University

Research Expertise: Interface between adoptive cellular therapy and genetic engineering; developing genetically engineered immune cells to combat blood cancers; clinical expertise in leukemia and bone marrow transplantation

Focus Areas: Developing next-generation CAR T cells, addressing treatment resistance in leukemia, leading clinical trials for hematologic malignancies

Translational Impact: Co-founder of Carisma Therapeutics and Interius Biotherapeutics

Dr. Gill’s Collaborative Vision: “PICI’s collaborative model integrates diverse scientific perspectives, which can enable us to overcome research hurdles. This collective approach empowers us to address complex immunological challenges and optimize therapeutic outcomes for patients.”