Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), the nation’s only non-profit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapies for cancer, is pleased to announce that Barbara Gallagher has joined the organization as the national director of philanthropy. Ms. Gallagher spent most of her career with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society where she has been for the past eight years, holding several positions, with the most recent as senior campaign director for the New York City Chapter.
Throughout her career, Ms. Gallagher has been dedicated to helping non-profits direct funding initiatives. At The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, she held the positions of senior campaign director for the New York City Chapter and Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter, and regional campaign director in the national office. She also has worked in advertising and public relations with Schott Corporation and NW Ayer where she worked on the De Beers, Avon Products and AT&T Consumer Products accounts. She has also been active with the Junior League of Westchester on the Sound. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and was an alumni interviewer for the school for prospective students.
Ms. Gallagher will work with the ACGT staff at its national headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, where it leads the field of cancer cell and gene therapy research through the funding of scientific research grants. ACGT has a 15year history of funding innovative cancer research studies and this year marked several major accomplishments including surpassing $26.4 million in funding basic and clinical translation cell and gene therapy studies. ACGT is unique in that it is committed to contributing 100 percent of donations directly to research. Additional breakthroughs carried out by ACGT grantees, like Dr. Carl June at the University of Pennsylvania and his work successfully treating leukemia through cancer gene therapy, have been touted in national documentaries aired on PBS and HBO. These trials are showing a 90 percent remission rate in children and adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who have gone into remission after participating in a personalized cellular therapy trial. ACGT-funded work is also attracting increasing attention from the pharmaceutical industry, which is swiftly discovering the potential of cell and gene therapies. Through the rigor of its scientific selection process, ACGT has funded many of the leading cancer gene therapy and immunotherapy researchers in the United States these past 15 years. ACGT’s successes include studies it funded in treating leukemia, melanoma and lung cancer.
About Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT)
Established in 2001, ACGT is the nation’s only non-profit dedicated exclusively to cell and gene therapy treatments for all types of cancer. One hundred percent of contributions go directly to research. ACGT has funded 50 grants in the U.S. and Canada since its founding in 2001 by Barbara Netter and her late husband Edward, to conduct and accelerate critically needed innovative research. Since its inception, ACGT has awarded 34 grants to Young Investigators and 16 grants to Clinical Investigators, totaling more than $26 million in funding. ACGT is located at 96 Cummings Point Road, Stamford, Connecticut 06902; 203-358-5055. To learn more, visit acgtfoundation.org or join the ACGT community on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.