Experimental hematology
Chiara Bonini
Email: bonini.chiara@hsr.it
Location: Dibit 1, Floor 3, Room A1
Group leader, Experimental hematology Unit
Full professor, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele
Her main research focus is the development, preclinical and clinical validation of cell and gene therapy approaches to treat cancer.
She pioneered the clinical use of genetically engineered lymphocytes in the context of stem cell transplantation, leading to the first cell-based gene therapy product approved by EMA for oncologic diseases.
Her group has extensive experience on cancer immunotherapy, genetic manipulation of T cells, including TCR/CAR gene transfer. In particular, she developed the TCR gene editing approach to completely and permanently redirect T cell specificity.
An additional relevant activity of Bonini’s Team is represented by the Immunomonitoring sub-Unit. This section of the lab is dedicated to the analyses of immunological correlates with clinical outcome in the context of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This activity is becoming critical in the growing field of cellular therapy, and the lab has obtained the ISO 9001:2015 certification and the qualification for monitoring phase I clinical trials in conformity to AIFA requirements (determina AIFA n. 809/15).
2018: President of the 2nd EBMT-CTIWP Scientific Symposium (Leiden, 18-20 Jan, 2018)
Since 2018: Member of the Board of GIIMA
2018-2021: Member of ASH Awards Committee
2019-2022: Member of ASH Global Research Award Subcommittee
2019: Presidential Scientific Committee, 1st Course on cell therapy, ESH, Mandelieu
2020: Member of the EHA Research Committee 2020 Co-Chair of the International conference on lymphocyte engineering, ICLE 2020
2020: Co-Chair of the CTATL meeting
2021: Co-Chair of the ESMO “Advanced course on CAR-T cells in 2021 in Europe”
2021-2022: Member of the planning committee for the Inaugural 2021 – 2022 Joint ASTCT-EBMT Basic and Translational Scientific Retreat
2021-: Member of the EHA Board
Clinical trials
1994-1998: PI of the clinical trial “Transfer of the HSV-tk gene into donor peripheral blood lymphocytes for in vivo modulation of donor anti-tumor immunity after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.”
2001-2007: PI of the multicentric clinical trial TK007, sponsored by Molmed s.p.a.
2010-: Co-PI of the multicentric TK008 randomized phase III clinical trial.
2017-: PI of “A prospective observational study to evaluate the relevance of CMV- specific T-cell frequencies in patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT”.
2019-2022: Co-PI of the multicentric A Phase I-IIa trial to assess the safety and antitumor activity of autologous CD44v6 CAR T-cells in acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma expressing CD44v6.
1998 National Board in Hematology, Summa cum laude, University of Pavia, Italy
1994 MD, Summa cum laude, University of Milan, Italy
1993 Undergraduate summer student, Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit,
MSKCC, New York, USA
1999-2001: Cancer Research Institute Fellowship, NY, USA
2005: Young Investigator Award. American Society of Gene Therapy
2006: Young Investigator Award. Fondazione Berlucchi
2009: Grant MIUR-IDEAS, for top 8% ranked by the European Research Council (ERC).
2010: Team Science Recognition Award (iSBTC, now SITC)
2012: Van Bekkum Award. European Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)
2012: Van Rood Award. European Federation of Immunogenetics (EFI)
2013: Jon Van Rood Award. Immunobiology Working Party EBMT
2014: Basic Science Award, EBMT.
2015: Van Rood Award. European Federation of Immunogenetics (EFI)
2016: Melvin Jones Fellow for Humanitarian Services, Lions International.
2016: Van Bekkum Award (EBMT)
2017: Basic Science Award (EBMT)
2019: Presidential Scientific Committee, 1st ESH Meeting on Cell therapy, Mandelieu
2019-2025: Coordinator of the Research Program AIRC 5x1000, call on Metastases. 17 participants
2020: Excellence in Science Award. ASGCT