John F. DiPersio, MD, PhD

Virginia E and Sam J Golman Professor; Section Director – Cellular Therapy

Phone: 314-454-8304
Fax: 314-454-7551
Email: jdipersi@nospam.wustl.edu

Address:
Division of Oncology
Mail Stop 8007-0029-11
Washington University
660 South Euclid Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110

11th Floor Mid Campus Center (office)

626 Southwest Tower (lab)

Admin:
Cathy Wiggins
cwiggins@wustl.edu

Clinical Interests

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Haploidentical stem cell transplantation

Research Interests

Hematopoietic growth factor receptors
Murine models of graft-versus-host disease and graft-versus-leukemia
Leukemia genomics

Research

My research focuses on fundamental and translational aspects of leukemia and stem cell biology. These studies include identification of genetic abnormalities in human leukemias, understanding processes involving stem cell and leukemia cell trafficking and clinical and translational programs in both leukemia/MDS and stem cell transplantation. My laboratory also utilizes unique mouse models of allogeneic stem cell transplantation to explore novel genetic and epigenetic interventions aimed at mitigating graft vs. host disease (GvHD) while maintaining graft vs. leukemia (GvL). I am also a PI of multiple clinical trials focused on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hematologic malignancies or those undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation. As Deputy Director of the Siteman Cancer Center I oversee all clinical and basic science research in the cancer center and I am active as a mentor of trainees and junior faculty and oversee faculty recruitment and retention in the Division. My personal research has focused on the role of stem cell transplantation and novel targeted interventions to alter the natural history of AML and other hematological malignancies. These studies have utilized bench-to-bedside mechanistic and preclinical modeling studies followed by early phase clinical trials. They have focused on targeting key elements of the hematopoietic niche for optimal stem cell mobilization and chemosensitization, mitigating GvHD in T replete transplants, understanding the genomic alterations in de novo and relapsed AML and developing and testing in the clinic novel therapeutics and immunotherapeutics for the treatment of AML before and after stem cell transplantation.

Targeting leukemic stem cells using immunotherapy

DiPersio Lab

Profiles (publications)

WU Physician Bio

Biosketch

Education

1980: MD/PhD in Microbiology, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
1973: BA in Biology (Magna Cum Laude), Williams College, Williamstown, MA

Post-Graduate Training

1987-1984: Fellow, Division of Hematology-Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
1984-1983: Chief Resident, Parkland Memorial Hospital, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX
1983-1981: Resident, Parkland Memorial Hospital, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX
1981-1980: Intern (Straight Medicine), Parkland Memorial Hospital, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX

Academic Positions

present-2017: Director, Center for Gene and Cellular Immunotherapy (CGCI), Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
present-1997: Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Pathology/Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
2022-2000: Chief, Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
2022-2000: Deputy Director, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
2000-1997: Acting Director, Division of Medical Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
2000-1994: Chief, Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Stem Cell Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
1994-1990: Director, Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, NY
1994-1990: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology Unit, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY
1997-1994: Associate Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Pathology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
2011-2006: Scientific Director, Good Manufacturing Procedure (GMP) Facility, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
2006-2000: Director, Section of Bone Marrow Transplantation & Leukemia, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO
1994-1990: Assistant Professor of Oncology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY
1990-1988: Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
1988-1987: Instructor of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA

Board Certification

1988: American Board of Internal Medicine (Hematology)
1987: American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology)
1984: American Board of Internal Medicine

Other Experience & Professional Memberships

present-2024: Member, EAB MD Anderson Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation
present-2024: Member LLS SCOR Study Section
present-2023: Member, AACR Cancer Immunology Working Group Steering Committee
present-2020: Member EAB Mt. Sinai PPD in Stem Cell Transplantation
present-2020: Member EAB O’Neal CCC at University of Alabama at Birmingham
present-2020: Member EAB Case CCC
present-2020: Member EAB DFCI Department of Medical Oncology
present-2019: Member Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) External Advisory Board
present-2019: Member EAB of DFCI Leukemia SPORE
present-2019: Member EAB of MSKCC Leukemia SPORE
present-2018: EAB member, University of Rochester
present-2018: EAB member, Weill Cornell Medicine
present-2018: Member AACR Honorific Awards Committee
present-2015: EAB member, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami
present-2014: EAB member, University of Chicago
present-2012: NIH Study Section for Loan Repayment Program
present-2012: EAB member, University of Michigan Cancer Center
2024: Chair, UCSD Hematology-Oncology External Review panel
2022: FDA, Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee (CTGTAC)
2022: Member, AACR Task Force of Hematologic Malignancies
2022: Chair, AACR Hematologic Malignancies Research Grants Scientific Review Committee
2021-2017: Member, ASH Honorific Award and ASH Mentor Award Committee
2021: City of Hope National Medical Center CCC EAB Member
2019-2017: Chair, for the Finneran Prize Awardee, MDACC
2019-2016: Member, AACR Science Policy and Government Affairs Committee (SPGAC)
2019-2014: Study Section Member CPRIT (Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas)
2019-2013: Member, Board of Scientific Councilors, National Cancer Institute (NCI)
2019: Member Scientific Committee, 2019 Acute Leukemias SVII, Munich Germany
2018: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society New Idea Award Committee
2018: NIH/NCI Cancer Moonshot Human Tumor Atlas Study Section ZRG1 OTC-T
2018: EAB member, DFCI Leukemia SPORE
2017-2015: Member, AACR-Aflac, Inc. Career Development Award for Pediatric Cancer Research Scientific Research Committee
2017: Review Committee Member, NIH Pioneer Award
2016: Chair, Data Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) BL-8040 and Nivolumb for the Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
2016: Chair, DSMC Dana Farber/Boston Childrens Hospital “Use of Plerixafor for Stem Cell Mobilization in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease”
2015: American Cancer Society, National Board of Directors for Hope Lodges
2015: Medical Advisory Board, Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research
2014-2012: Vice Chair (2012-13) and Chair (2013-14) ASH Scientific Committee on Hematopoiesis
2014: CIRM Working Group 2.0 – Permanent Member
2013: Member, NCI Provocative Questions B Study Section
2013: EAB member, Levine Cancer Institute
2012-2007: Co-Chair, CIBMTR Acute Leukemia Working Committee
2011-2008 Member, Scientific and Medical Research Funding; California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)
2011: NIH (BST-M)/CSR- Special Emphasis Panel
2011: Study Section, Doris Duke Center Grants for Sickle Cell Disease
2011: Chairman, NIH/NIDDK P01 Special Emphasis Panel, Methylation and Hematopoiesis
2010: ASH/CRTI Faculty/Mentor
2010: Member, External Advisory Board, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, UT San Antonio
2010: Chairman, NIH NIAID ZAI1 MFH-01 P01 Special Emphasis Panel
2009-2004: NCI (NIH) Permanent member CONC Study Section Member
2009: Member, Review Panel; Center Grants, National Medical Research Council, Singapore
2009: Member, ASBMT Committee on Research Priorities
2008: NCI P01 Special Emphasis Panel ZCA1-RPRB-J, October 2008, Bethesda MD
2008: ASH Scientific Committees on Cell and Gene Therapy and Hematopoiesis
2006-1999: Member, External Advisory Panel, M.D. Anderson, (MDACC) PPG-AML
2006-2003: Award Member, ASH Committee on Educational Affairs, Washington, DC
2006-2003: Member, Board of Directors, American Society of Biology and Marrow Transplant
2006-2000: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, Career Development Award Study Section Member
2006: NIH (ZRG)/CSR – Gene Therapy and Inborn Errors – Special Emphasis Review Panel
2005: Chairman, Study Section RFA HL-04-017 (NHLBI) Specialized Center for Cell Based Therapy
2002: Member, Executive Committee IBMTR/ABMTR
2000: Chairman, NHLBI Consensus Conference on Allo Transplantation for Non-Malignant Diseases
1998: Member, Barnard Free Skin and Cancer Board of Directors
1998: Guest Editor, Blood Journal
1999: Deputy Director, Siteman Cancer Center, Washington University School of Medicine
1997: Chairman, Nominating Committee, International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH)
1997: Member, Stem Cell Evaluation Committee, International Society for Hematotherapy and Graft Engineering (ISHAGE)
1997: Councilor, International Society of Experimental Hematology
1995: Member, Nominating Committee, International Society for Experimental Hematology
1993: Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Experimental Hematology

Honors

2025: President, Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO)
2024-2017: R35- NCI Outstanding Investigator Award “Optimizing Allogeneic HSCT”
2024: E. Donnall Thomas Award/Lecture, American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT), San Antonio, Tx
2024: Associate Editor, Williams Textbook of Hematology 11^th Edition
2024: Chancellor’s Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Washington University
2024: UCSD Helen Ranney Lecture, Department of Medicine, UCSD Cancer Center
2023: American College of Physicians’ Harriet P. Dustan Award for Science as Related to Medicine
2023: Master Physician Lifetime Achievement Award, Barnes Jewish Hospital, St Louis, MO
2022: Doug Lowry Inaugural Lecture, Wilmot Cancer Center, U of Rochester Med School
2022: Giants of Cancer Care Award for Leukemia Research, Chicago, IL
2022: American-Italian Cancer Foundation’s Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine
2021: AACR Co-Chair Annual Meeting, 2021 Program Committee
2021: Danny Thomas Distinguished Lecture, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital
2020: Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Distinguished Lecture Award Recipient
2019-2018: President, American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
2019: Thomas Buchner Memorial Lecture, Acute Leukemias XVII, Munich, Germany
2019: Distinguished Lecture Award, Society of Hematologic Oncology Annual Meeting
2018: Karl Blume and Gerhard Schmidt Memorial Lecture, City of Hope Cancer Center, Duarte, CA
2018: Teacher of the Year, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
2018: Founder, WUGEN Therapeutics, St. Louis, MO
2017-2016: Vice President/President-Elect, American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation
2017: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of American Legacy Award
2016: Washington University School of Medicine 2nd Century Award
2015: Co-founder, Magenta Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA
2014: Recipient of AACR Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research
2014: Thomson Reuters list of “Most Influential Scientific Minds”
2014: American Society of Hematology Mentor Award for Clinical Investigation
2013: Daniel P. Schuster Distinguished Translational Investigator Award, Washington University
2013: Member, Association of American Physicians (AAP)
2010: Recipient, Virginia E. and Samuel J. Golman Endowed Professorship in Medicine
2010: Washington University Divisions of Hematology and Oncology “Teacher of the Year”
2008: “Great Teacher” Lecture NIH
2001: ISHAGE Meeting, First prize, Scientific Merit: “Control of GvHD using genetically modified T cells”
1989: Junior Faculty Research Award, American Cancer Society
1992: Bauman Award – Teacher of the Year, Internal Medicine, University of Rochester
1997: Recipient, Lewis T. and Rosalind B. Apple Chair in Oncology
1996: Elected, American Society of Clinical Investigation (ASCI)
1986: Special Fellow, Leukemia Society of America
1980: Alpha Omega Alpha, University of Rochester
1973: BA, Magna Cum Laude, Honors in Biology, Williams College