On Sept. 12, 2019, UPenn completed its exclusive, 7-year research and development alliance with Novartis, that spawned the global CAR T cell therapy industry.

The exclusive agreement, in collaboration with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, led to the August 2017 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the CAR-modified T cell therapy Kymriah® for the treatment of pediatric and young adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.