Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation have awarded the 2025 recipient of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Peter Steelman Scholar Award* to Gabriele Casirati, MD.
Deerfield names Gabriele Casirati, MD, as 2025 winner of ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award
Casirati, a hematologist and instructor at Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, specializes in immune engineering strategies for acute leukemias, focusing on enhancing targeted immunotherapies and improving outcomes for patients with blood cancers, including Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML).**
Treatment of refractory and relapsed (R/R) B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is an unmet medical need in both children and adult patients diagnosed with the disease. Studies over the last two decades have shown that autologous T-cells engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR T cells) are an effective treatment for these patients.[1] However, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressive malignancy without effective therapies for refractory disease. Patients with relapsed or refractory AML continue to have poor prognoses, necessitating the development of novel therapy alternatives. However, to date, CAR T-cell therapies in AML have not demonstrated the same efficacy seen in B-cell malignancies.[2][3]
Casirati’s research has contributed to the development of gene-editing approaches to make bone marrow transplants and CAR T-cell therapies safer and more effective.[4]
“Congratulations to Gabriele Casirati, whose exceptional work underscores the legacy of this award honoring our former friend and Deerfield colleague, Peter Steelman, and his enduring commitment to advancing healthcare,” noted Ross L. Levine, MD, Senior Vice President, Memorial Hospital Translational Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).
“We are delighted to present this award in partnership with ASH, with the hope that it will further support and inspire the development of improved therapies for those affected by AML,” Levine said.
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Note: * Designed by Deerfield Management and Deerfield Foundation in collaboration with the American Society of Hematology (ASH), the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award supports exceptional academic research efforts focused on AML and is part of the ASH Scholar Award program. For many researchers, the period between completing training and establishing an independent career can be a perilous and uncertain time. Since 1985, the ASH Scholar Award program has helped ease this difficult transition by providing support during the critical period needed to complete training and achieve independent investigator status. Recipients of the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar Award receive an extensive benefits package from the Deerfield Foundation, including full funding for participation in the ASH Annual Meeting. Named in honor of former Deerfield Partner Peter Steelman, the ASH Peter Steelman Scholar award commemorates Peter’s lasting impact as a dedicated team member and a compassionate individual who embraced everyone with acceptance and kindness. During his tenure at Deerfield, Peter was instrumental in creating Deerfield’s academic network, which today spans more than 25 of the country’s most prestigious institutions. Peter will always be missed and forever remembered.
** Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer that occurs when bone marrow generates immature white blood cells that do not develop normally. Types of AML are defined by the maturity of cancer cells at diagnosis and the degree of their abnormalities. AML is the most common acute leukemia in adults. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2025, approximately 22,010 Americans will be diagnosed with AML and 11,090 will die from the disease.
Reference
[1] Testa U, Sica S, Pelosi E, Castelli G, Leone G. CAR-T Cell Therapy in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis. 2024 Jan 1;16(1):e2024010. doi: 10.4084/MJHID.2024.010. PMID: 38223477; PMCID: PMC10786140.
[2] Bhagwat AS, Torres L, Shestova O, Shestov M, Mellors PW, Fisher HR, Farooki SN, Frost BF, Loken MR, Gaymon AL, Frazee D, Rogal W, Frey N, Hexner EO, Luger SM, Loren AW, Martin ME, McCurdy SR, Perl AE, Stadtmauer EA, Brogdon JL, Fraietta JA, Hwang WT, Siegel DL, Plesa G, Aplenc R, Porter DL, June CH, Gill SI. Cytokine-mediated CAR T therapy resistance in AML. Nat Med. 2024 Dec;30(12):3697-3708. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03271-5. Epub 2024 Sep 27. PMID: 39333315; PMCID: PMC12118809.
[3] Almotiri A. CAR T-cell therapy in acute myeloid leukemia. Saudi Med J. 2024 Oct;45(10):1007-1019. doi: 10.15537/smj.2024.45.10.20240330. PMID: 39379118; PMCID: PMC11463564.
[4] Casirati G, Cosentino A, Mucci A, Salah Mahmoud M, Ugarte Zabala I, Zeng J, Ficarro SB, Klatt D, Brendel C, Rambaldi A, Ritz J, Marto JA, Pellin D, Bauer DE, Armstrong SA, Genovese P. Epitope editing enables targeted immunotherapy of acute myeloid leukaemia. Nature. 2023 Sep;621(7978):404-414. doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06496-5. Epub 2023 Aug 30. PMID: 37648862; PMCID: PMC10499609.
Featured image: Gabriele Casirati, MD Photo courtesy © 2025 Deerfield Management and the Deerfield Foundation. Used with permission.
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