Let's Talk: A Conversation with Dr. John Rossi

CAR-T therapy has revolutionized modern medicine, moving from an unproven concept into a class of curative cancer treatments. Now, that same engineering is being reimagined for in vivo delivery, opening the door to lasting remission across therapeutic areas, including autoimmune disease.

In this webcast, Christopher Ung, our Chief Scientific Business Officer, sat down with Dr. John Rossi, who has spent more than two decades in cell therapy biomarker and translational science, for a conversation ranging from the academic discovery that started the CAR-T field to where in vivo delivery, RNA-based platforms, and standardized biomarkers are headed next.

Key topics discussed in this webcast:

• The origins of CAR-T and the mechanistic differences between ex vivo, allogeneic, in vivo CAR-T approaches
• The leading approaches for in vivo CAR-T therapy: viral integration and RNA-based/transient delivery
• B-cell depleting therapies (BCDTs) and the concept of immune reset in autoimmune disease
• Designing precision assays to effectively characterize BCDTs
• The case for a standardized B-cell depletion assay to support both clinical development and future real-world use
• China's growing role for accelerating in vivo CAR-T development
• The future landscape of CAR-T cell therapy

About the Speakers:

Dr. John Rossi

Dr. John Rossi is a leader in the field of CAR-T therapy. He built the biomarker program behind the first approved CAR-T therapies at Kite Pharma and later led translational medicine at Capstan Therapeutics, which was acquired by AbbVie for $2.1B in 2025. Now, Dr. Rossi is co-founding a new venture alongside former Capstan colleague Adrian Bot to advance CAR-T therapy for both ex vivo and in vivo applications.

Christopher Ung

Christopher Ung is CellCarta’s Chief Scientific Business Officer and has served in the companion diagnostics field since its inception. He is one of the original pioneers of the personalized medicine field. Mr. Ung currently leads the development and execution of CellCarta’s strategic and business initiatives, leveraging the company’s solid tumor and digital services.

Let’s Talk Webcasts

Our Webcast series features in-depth conversations with thought leaders in precision therapeutics. Join our speakers as they engage in insightful fireside chat-style discussions on a variety of topics in this dynamic space.

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