G-Rex Grant Tour San Francisco, CA

G-Rex® Grant Tour

Supporting the Emily Whitehead Foundation

SAN FRANCISCO

Coming to San Francisco

The G-Rex Grant Program is a transformational initiative that culminated in the awarding of >300 G-Rex Grants and >$40M in resources and has resulted in a powerful coalition of organizations and individuals working to bring hope to cancer and autoimmune patients through adoptive cell and gene therapy.

In 2026, ScaleReady will host a series of 12-events around the United States with the goals of:

Rallying, fostering, and investing in the local cell & gene therapy community
Promoting transparency and collaboration among like-minded individuals and organizations workings towards a common goal
Catalyzing scienfitic and clinical progress through a shared sense of duty to the patients we all serve
Spotlighting the breadth of diverse innovative cell and gene therapy approaches being powered by G-Rex.

Hear from leaders bringing hope to patients through advanced cell & gene therapies

Meet Dr. Ross Wilson

Ross Wilson, Ph.D., is a leading researcher in the field of genome editing. He currently serves as an Assistant Adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley and is the Director of Therapeutic Delivery at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI). Dr. Wilson’s work is primarily focused on overcoming the "delivery problem", the challenge of safely and effectively transporting genome-editing enzymes (like CRISPR-Cas9) into specific cells within the human body. Key aspects of his research include: - Cell-Targeted Delivery: Engineering CRISPR enzymes to facilitate targeted delivery to specific tissues or organs, such as the liver, the brain, and immune cells (T cells). - In Vivo Therapeutics: Developing methods for "in vivo" editing (inside the body) to replace more complex "ex vivo" procedures, with the goal of making genetic medicines more accessible and affordable. - Molecular Engineering: Utilizing protein and RNA engineering to create self-contained delivery vectors that can navigate biological barriers like the endosome. Dr. Wilson earned his B.S. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The Ohio State University. Before establishing his own lab, he conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Nobel Laureate Jennifer Doudna at UC Berkeley, where he studied the biogenesis of microRNAs and the structural biology of RNA-protein complexes. His lab at the IGI was initially launched through a unique collaboration with Pfizer, reflecting his long-standing interest in bridging the gap between fundamental academic research and direct medical applications. Beyond his technical research, Dr. Wilson is a vocal advocate for the democratization of genetic medicine, publishing and speaking on the economics and accessibility of CRISPR-based therapies.

Meet Dr. Shahab Asgharzadeh

Shahab Asgharzadeh, MD, is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Southern California and a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). He serves as Interim Research Director of CHLA’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute and leads both the Neuroblastoma Basic and Translational Research Program and the Spatial Biology & Sequencing Core at The Saban Research Institute. Dr. Asgharzadeh received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University and his MD from the University of Illinois. He completed pediatric residency training and a fellowship in clinical medical ethics at the University of Chicago, followed by fellowship training in pediatric hematology-oncology at CHLA. He has been recognized with multiple honors, including designation as a Top Doctor by Pasadena Magazine, the Walter Laug Distinguished Teaching Award, and the American Cancer Society’s Determination Award. Dr. Asgharzadeh’s research program focuses on elucidating the tumor microenvironment and developing novel immunotherapeutic strategies, including cellular therapies, for children with solid tumors and brain tumors. His laboratory was among the first to characterize tumor-associated macrophages in pediatric neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma, helping to reshape understanding of immune contributions to childhood cancer biology. His current work is directed toward engineering next-generation cellular therapies capable of overcoming the profoundly immunosuppressive environments of pediatric solid and brain tumors. In parallel, his group is advancing spatially resolved analyses of pediatric cancers as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Human Tumor Atlas Network consortium.

Meet Dr. Andras Attila Heczey

Andras Attila Heczey, M.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and a member of the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is a physician-scientist and full-time faculty within the multidisciplinary solid tumor team and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT), where he develops next-generation cellular immunotherapies for pediatric and adult solid tumors. Dr. Heczey earned his M.D. from Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest, Hungary, and completed residency training at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, followed by fellowship training at Baylor College of Medicine affiliate hospitals. Board certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, he is an active member of ASCO, the Children’s Oncology Group, the American Society of Cell and Gene Therapy, and AACR. His research focuses on redirecting the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells through engineered immune-cell platforms and synthetic immunology. He led the first adoptive immunotherapy approach using genetically modified Natural Killer T cells to target neuroblastoma, now evaluated in the GINAKIT2 Phase 1 clinical trial for children with relapsed or refractory high-risk disease. As Director of the Liver Tumor Center, he has advanced innovative strategies using genetically engineered T lymphocytes to treat hepatoblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, expanding these approaches across multiple solid cancers. Supported by major funding from CPRIT, the NIH, and ALSF, Dr. Heczey continues to advance cellular therapy programs aimed at delivering durable, curative responses for patients with solid tumors.

Meet Dr. Ke Li

Dr. Ke Li is the Scientific Director of the Investigational Cellular Therapy Program in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Li leads process and analytical development efforts for ex vivo cellular therapies targeting hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and rare diseases. His work focuses on optimizing non-viral genome and epigenome engineering platforms and has been instrumental in the development and clinical translation of UCSF’s first CRISPR-engineered CAR-T therapy towards clinical manufacturing. Dr. Li brings extensive experience in CMC strategy, IND-enabling studies, regulatory affairs, and technology transfer, and has led multiple collaborations spanning academia and industry. Dr. Li earned his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed postdoctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

More Coming Soon...

Event Sponsors

The G-Rex Grant Tour will be co-produced by the Emily Whitehead Foundation (EWF) and all sponsorship fees will go directly to support the EWF mission “to support patients and caregivers affected by cancer and rare diseases, and advocate for all patients who can be treated with advanced therapies”.

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G-Rex Grant
Tour 2026

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