G-Rex Grant Tour Los Angeles -

G-Rex® Grant Tour

Supporting the Emily Whitehead Foundation

Los Angeles

Location

570 Westwood Plaza, Building 114, MC 722710
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Date

Thursday, August 20, 2026
10:00AM – 7:00PM GMT-7

Event Agenda

Check Sessions & Speakers

Register for Event

G-Rex Grant Tour Los Angeles

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

Ms. Lauri Adami

Meet Ms. Laurie Adami

In 2006, Laurie was president of a Los Angeles based financial software company when at the age of 46, with a young son in kindergarten, she was diagnosed with incurable follicular non Hodgkin lymphoma, the second most common type of NHL.She spent 12 years in non stop treatment with numerous lines of therapy before getting a treatment that worked for her in 2018. She now spends her time as a volunteer patient advocate helping other patients navigate their cancer journeys. She is also writing amemoir about her journey to help others on the road behind her.
Dr. Vicki Plaks, PhD, executive translational science leader of a global Cell Therapy organization spanning the United States and China, supporting CAR-T pipeline programs and immuno-oncology platforms

Meet Dr. Vicki Plaks

Vicki Plaks, PhD, is an executive translational science leader with global experience building and scaling R&D organizations across immuno-oncology and advanced cell therapy platforms. She currently leads a global Cell Therapy translational organization across the United States and China, including several Directors, supporting complex CAR-T pipeline programs and portfolio assets at enterprise scale. Her career spans discovery, translational medicine, regulatory strategy, clinical integration, and post-marketing lifecycle management. She has formally led a CAR-T discovery organization, architected high-impact external collaborations including the Umoja–AbbVie in vivo CAR-T partnership, and driven translational strategies supporting regulatory filings and lifecycle expansion of marketed therapies. She also embeds AI/ML-enabled analytics into translational strategy to accelerate reverse translation, combination prioritization, and portfolio decisions across CAR-T and immuno-oncology platforms. She specializes in designing integrated discovery-to-clinic-and-back frameworks that align biology, biomarkers, clinical pharmacology, regulatory planning, and portfolio prioritization to de-risk modality innovation and accelerate proof-of-concept. She operates with a full-ownership leadership model: clarifying decision rights in complex matrices, aligning cross-functional stakeholders, and building high-performance teams that deliver under pressure while sustaining long-term capability.
Dr. Joshua Sasine, Associate Director of the CAR T and Immune Effector Cell Program at Cedars-Sinai and Assistant Professor of Medicine

Meet Dr. Joshua Sasine

Dr. Sasine is a physician-scientist and hematologist. He founded the CAR T Cell Program at UCLA and led it as Director before being recruited to Cedars-Sinai, where he is the Associate Director of the CAR T and Immune Effector Cell Program. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine affiliated with the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Cellular Therapy Program, and Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute. Clinically, Dr. Sasine mainly treats patients with B-cell lymphoid malignancies. Dr. Sasine's laboratory and clinical research focuses on 1) how cancer and engineered immune cells interact with the microenvironment and 2) enhancing the design of CARs.
Dr. Saul Priceman

Meet Dr. Saul Priceman

Dr. Saul Priceman graduated from University of California, Los Angeles with a Ph.D. degree in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology in 2010. As an associate professor in the Department of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) at USC, Dr. Priceman’s lab is designing novel T cell engineering strategies to effectively target advanced prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Priceman is the lead investigator on awards from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Defense, NIH/NCI, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and other funding sources. He is also founding director of the KSOM/Norris Center for Cancer Cellular Immunotherapy Research at USC.
Dr. Abou-el-Enein

Meet Dr. Abou-el-Enein

Mohamed Abou-el-Enein, MD, PhD, MSPH, is Associate Professor of Medicine (Oncology), Pediatrics, and Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Executive Director of the USC/CHLA Cell Therapy Program, where he serves as Founding Director of the cGMP facility. He earned his PhD in manufacturing of cell and gene therapies and completed master’s degrees in public health, regulatory science, and cancer biology. Dr. Abou-el-Enein is a physician-scientist and translational leader. Over the past 15 years, he has built academic infrastructure that enables the development and clinical evaluation of cell and gene therapies, bringing multiple products into early-phase clinical trials. His lab pioneers engineering, analytical, and computational approaches to define determinants of safety, potency, and clinical performance and guide the design of next-generation therapies. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Therapy – Advances and contributes to scientific and policy initiatives shaping the future of cell and gene therapies. He has received several honors, including the ASGCT Award for Research on Conditions Disproportionately Affecting Minorities, the Inaugural ISSCR Lawrence Goldstein Policy Fellowship, the Max Rubner Innovation Award, and a Global Eisenhower Fellowship. He is a strong advocate for equitable access to safe and effective medical innovations.
Dr. Lili Yang, UCLA Professor of Microbiology and tumor immunology researcher developing cancer immunotherapy

Meet Dr. Lili Yang

Dr. Lili Yang received her Ph.D. degree in Biology from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), studying with Dr. David Baltimore. She is currently Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Her research laboratory at UCLA studies tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy, with a special focus on developing gene and cell-based immunotherapy for cancer (https://www.liliyanglab.com/). So far her work has resulted in over 120publications, 30 patents, 3 clinical trials, and 2 biotech startups. In recognition of her scientific achievements, Dr. Lili Yang has received multiple prestigious awards, including a TR35 (Innovators Under 35) Award from the MIT Technology Review Magazine, a Director’s New Innovator Award from the National Institute of Health (NIH), a Young Investigator Award from the American Association of Immunologists (AAI), and an Outstanding New Investigator Award from the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT). Dr. Lili Yang is also widely recognized for her biotech accomplishments. She has been named Women in Biopharma by Endpoints News in 2022, and Top Women in Academic Entrepreneurship by BIOS in 2023."

Global Resources, Raleigh Innovation.

Join the coalition accelerating patient cures right here in Los Angeles
Inspiring Patient & Caregiver Stories

Hear firsthand from cancer survivor Laurie Adami as she shares her powerful journey of recovery alongside top industry advocates.

Breakthroughs in Solid Tumor Cancer Research

Join experts from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, USC, and A2 Biotherapeutics as they discuss new cellular immunotherapies and hope for solid tumor patients.

Innovations in Ex Vivo Cell & Gene Therapy Manufacturing

Connect with leading scientists from UCLA and USC/CHLA to explore the next generation of manufacturing advancements.

Event Sponsors
Akadeum Life Sciences logo — sponsor of the G-REX Grant Tour
r&dsystems
Biolife Solutions logo — sponsor of the G-REX Grant Tour
Wilson Wolf — sponsor of the G-REX Grant Tour
Charles River logo — sponsor of the G-REX Grant Tour
logo-maxcyte
Stemcell Technologies logo — sponsor of the G-REX Grant Tour
aldevron
Event Essentials

Prepare for a full day of innovation, networking, and impact.

August 20 Thursday

Mark your calendar

10:00AM – 7:00PM GMT-7

Full
Agenda

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for event

G-Rex Grant Tour Los Angeles

G-Rex Grant Tour

If you're building the future of cell therapy - this is your place

Interested in Sponsoring?

Are you a provider of tools, technology, or services used in research, development, or manufacturing of cell and gene therapies?
Does your innovation pair nicely with G-Rex?
If yes, please consider sponsoring one, some, or all of the G-Rex Grant Tour events.  Your sponsorship is a tax deductible donation to the Emily Whitehead Foundation.

SPONSORSHIP PROSPECTUS

G-Rex Grant Tour Los Angeles

G-Rex Grant Tour
AUG 20
Thursday, August 20, 2026 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM PDT
570 Westwood Plaza, Building 114 Los Angeles, CA
Registration

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