Started in 2006, the Mrs Lee Kong Chian Chair in Advanced Cellular Therapy currently supports the renowned Professor Dario Campana, a pioneer in cellular immunotherapy expert and 2019 Jacob and Louise Gabbay Awardee, together with his team at the National University of Singapore and National University Hospital to conduct research on cell-based therapy and clinical trials for break-throughs in cancer treatment.

Professor Dario Campana, previously from St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, was formally appointed as the Mrs Lee Kong Chian Chair in February 2013.

Based in Singapore now, he focuses on several cutting-edge research and clinical trials. These includes research on how Natural Killer cells can be used to fight cancer in children and adults, as well as Cancer Immunotherapy. Due to the potential of his research to save lives and develop cures for different forms of cancer, he also managed to secure funding under the National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS). With this funding, patients enrolled in his cell-therapy clinical trials do not need to pay for this treatment.