Steven Rosenberg

Steven Rosenberg is the founding father of adoptive cell therapy who demonstrated in the 1980s that tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes could mediate regression of metastatic melanoma, establishing the proof of concept that cellular immunotherapy could cure cancer. His laboratory at the National Cancer Institute pioneered high-dose IL-2 therapy, lymphodepletion conditioning, TIL therapy, and the first TCR-engineered T cell therapies, creating the entire scientific foundation upon which modern cell therapy is built. His six decades of work have saved thousands of lives and inspired the development of the cell therapy industry.