Dr Poortinga was part of the team that established the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy (CoE CIT) at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. The CoE CIT was established to collaboratively and rapidly identify, develop and deliver globally competitive CAR-T and other cell-based immunotherapy breakthroughs for the treatment of cancer. As Program Operations Director, Gretchen works with clinicians, scientists, and other experts to synergise activities across the multifaceted program. This includes integrating the CoE CIT with its manufacturing partner Cell Therapies Pty Ltd and liaising with government and industry partners to coordinate key endeavors in the cell and gene sector. Through these efforts, she helps drive the translation and acceleration of innovative cell-based technologies into the clinic, maximising the Centre’s outputs for Australian patients and researchers.

Prior to her role with the CoE CIT, Gretchen was a Senior Research Fellow at the Peter MacCallum and an Honorary Fellow in the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology, University of Melbourne, conducting highly translational research, including that which formed the basis of a first-in-class phase 1 clinical trial in haematologic malignancies.

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Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy