DocTalks: Cell Engineering and Therapy
On October 14, 2025, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) held its latest installment of DocTalks on Cell Engineering and Therapy at The Times Center. The conversation, moderated by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, explored how engineering the body's own cells into living medicines is a revolutionary new approach to advance patient care in many areas. Columbia's internationally recognized panel of experts—Dr. Ben Izar, Dr. Claire S. Riley, Dr. Michel Sadelain, and Dr. Catherine Spina— discussed how cell therapies are raising the possibility of long-term remission and even cures in cancers, blood disorders, neurodegenerative conditions, autoimmune diseases, and organ transplant recovery.
Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil
2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner
Associate Professor of Medicine
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
PANELISTS:
Ben Izar, MD, PhD
Vivian and Seymour Milstein Family Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology
Associate Professor of Systems Biology
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Claire S. Riley, MD
Karen L. K. Miller Associate Professor of Neurology
Director, Columbia University Multiple Sclerosis Center
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD
Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Medicine
Director, Columbia Initiative in Cell Engineering and Therapy
Director, Cell Therapy Program in the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Catherine Spina, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
For more information on Columbia’s DocTalks, please contact DocTalks@cumc.columbia.edu or 646-734-6275