Stanley R. Riddell

Dr. Stanley R. Riddell is a Professor at the Translational Science and Therapeutics Division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he holds the Burke O'Reilly Endowed Chair in Immunotherapy. He simultaneously serves as Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology and Affiliate Professor in the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. A world leader in cancer immunotherapy, Dr. Riddell's work focuses on harnessing T cell biology to develop novel treatments for cancer and dangerous infections.

Dr. Riddell's research interests span:

• Immunotherapy and T cell engineering
• CAR T-cell therapy development
• Adoptive T cell transfer mechanisms
• Synthetic biology approaches for cellular medicines
• T cell subset optimization for cancer treatment
• Identification of tumor-specific antigens

His laboratory has pioneered multiple breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy, including the first human trials of transferred therapeutic T cells for cytomegalovirus prevention after stem cell transplantation, the first use of leukemia-reactive T cells for relapsed leukemia post-transplant, and the first CAR-engineered T cells of defined subset composition. Current research focuses on developing techniques to redirect T cell specificity to cancer cells while improving their function and persistence.

Dr. Riddell's team has designed CARs targeting multiple cancer markers including CD19 in lymphoid malignancies, BCMA in myelomas, and ROR1 across various cancers. Their work has translated into numerous clinical trials with remarkable success rates, particularly for blood cancers where his CD19-specific CAR T-cell therapy has achieved remission in 93% of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Notable recognition includes the Burke O'Reilly Endowed Chair in Immunotherapy, established through a family's gift inspired by their child's life-threatening illness. With over 280 publications and numerous high-impact studies from 2023-2025, Dr. Riddell continues to advance the field with research on bispecific CARs, low-affinity HER2 targeting, and strategies to overcome barriers in solid tumor immunotherapy.