A professor in the Department of Immuno-Oncology at City of Hope (Duarte, Los Angeles), Marcin Kortylewski conducts research that focuses on the development of novel cancer immunotherapies using a variety of oligonucleotide-based strategies. His early studies defined the central role of STAT3 transcription factor in orchestrating tumor immune evasion through reprogramming of myeloid immune cells. Later, he developed a two-pronged oligonucleotide strategy combining myeloid cell-selective STAT3 silencing with Toll-like Receptor-9 stimulation to jump-start immune attack. The two generations of these molecules have entered initial clinical testing or currently undergo IND-enabling studies. His team has recently adapted this myeloid cell-targeted oligonucleotide delivery platform has more recently been adopted to targeting other immune regulators, such as NF-kB or various miRNA targets.
Dr. Kortylewski received his Ph.D. in molecular biology from Poznan University School of Medical Sciences in Poznan (Poland). He then completed postdoctoral fellowships in tumor biology and immunology at the Institute of Biochemistry (Aachen, Germany) and at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center (Tampa, FL), respectively. Research from Dr. Kortylewski’s laboratory has earned notable funding from major federal and private sources, including the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, the Department of Defense, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He is an author of over 90 publications, member of scientific advisory boards at Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society and at two biotech companies, a section editor at Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids journal (Cell Press) and an inventor on 15 patents or patent applications.