Helen E Heslop

Heslop

Helen E Heslop, MD, DSc (Hon)

Professor

(832) 824-4662

Positions

Professor
Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics
Section of Hematology-Oncology
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX, US
Director - Center for Cell and Gene Therapy
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX, US
Texas Children's Hospital Houston Methodist
Dan L Duncan Chair
Baylor College of Medicine
Leader, Cancer Cell & Gene Therapy
Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas, United States

Addresses

TX Childs Feigin Ctr (Office)
Room: TXFC-164006
Houston, TX, 77030
United States
Phone: (832) 824-4671
hheslop@bcm.edu
Houston Methodist Hospital (Clinic)
6565 Fannin St., Suite 800
Houston, TX, 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 394-6250
Houston Methodist Hospital (Hospital)
6565 Fannin St., Suite 800
Houston, TX, 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 394-6250

Education

M.D. from University Of Otago, New Zealand
01/1990 - Otago, New Zealand
Advanced Training from Royal Free Hospital
01/1986 - London, United Kingdom
Advanced Training from Christchurch Hospital
01/1982 - Christchurch, New Zealand
M.B.,Ch.B. from University Of Otago, New Zealand
01/1980 - Otago, New Zealand

Certifications

Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP)
Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (FRCPA)

Honors & Awards

President
Foundation for Accreditation Cell Therapy (01/2012 - 12/2015)
President
American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (02/2008 - 02/2009)
President
American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (05/2017 - 05/2018)
Member
NCI Subcomittee A (08/2014 - 08/2020)
Chair
BMT-CTN Steering Committee (01/2020 - 01/2022)
Elected
Association of American Physicians (03/2004)
Elected
National Academy of Medicine (10/2021)

Professional Interests

  • Cell and Gene Therapy

Professional Statement

Helen Heslop is a physician-scientist engaged in translational research focusing on adoptive immunotherapy with gene-modified effector cells, to improve hemopoietic stem cell transplantation and cancer therapy. A key step in this strategy has been the translation of laboratory findings to Phase I and II clinical trials, as exemplified by studies of Epstein Barr virus-induced lymphoproliferative disease (EBV-LPD), a fatal complication in about 15% of recipients of unrelated or mismatched family member bone marrow transplants in the early 1990s. In collaboration with Dr Cliona Rooney, she developed methods for early diagnosis of this disease and procedures for generating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) from bone marrow donors. These studies were the first to demonstrate that antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells could eradicate an established malignancy and because the cells were genetically marked, we obtained definitive evidence of cell expansion, trafficking to tumor sites and decade-long persistence. Subsequent protocols have extended this approach to Hodgkin's Disease, NHL and nasopharyngeal cancer. She has an additional focus in reconstituting antiviral immunity post transplant in collaboration with Drs. Rooney, Leen and Bollard and is currently leading an NHLBI-funded multicenter trial of allogeneic multivirus specific T cells. She therefore has extensive experience in developing and conducting transplant studies and cell and gene therapy studies under IND and has also obtained orphan drug designation for my initial study. Other areas of research focus in collaboration include identification of novel tumor antigens and genetic modification of CTLs to overcome tumor evasion strategies. In collaboration with Drs. Brenner, Dotti, Savoldo, Gottschalk and Ahded group they are also evaluating if transduction of CTLs with chimeric antigen receptors can allow targeting of CD19+ve, CD30+ve and her2neu+ve malignancies.

Selected Publications

Funding

SPORE in Lymphoma
#P50 CA126752
$1,519,185.00   (09/01/2007 - 08/31/2027)
Grant funding from NCI
The overall goal of the Lymphoma SPORE at Baylor College of Medicine and Houston Methodist Hospital is to devise in the laboratory, and validate in the clinic, interventional strategies, with the broad objective of improving outcome in lymphomas and in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).
Immunotherapy of Hematologic Malignancy
$1,250,000.00   (10/01/2018 - 09/30/2023)
Grant funding from Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
The major goals of this program are to develop immunotherapy approaches for a broad range of hematologic malignancies
Training in Cell and Gene Therapy
#T32 HL092332
$276,642.00   (07/01/2003 - 06/30/2028)
Grant funding from NHLBI
This is a training grant for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in Cell and Gene Therapy.
Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) - Core Clinical Centers (U01)
#U10 HL10894
$100,000.00   (08/08/2011 - 06/30/2031)
Grant funding from NHLBI
Meg Vosburg T cell Lymphoma Dream Team
$8,000,000.00   (03/01/2019 - 10/01/2023)
Grant funding from AACR Stand Up To Cancer

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