Andrew Fesnak, MD, MHI
Associate Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Deputy Director, Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Vice Chair for Education
Director, Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Cellular Processing Laboratory
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Contact InformationHospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
3 Ravdin Building
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tel: 215-662-3325
Email: fesnak@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Specialty Division
Transfusion Medicine & Therapeutic Pathology
Education
BA (Molecular Biology), Princeton University, 2005
MD (Medicine), University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine, 2011
MHI (Masters of Health Care Innovation), University of Pennsylvania, 2019
Specialty Certification
Clinical Pathology, American Board of Pathology, 2014
Blood Banking / Transfusion Medicine, American Board of Pathology, 2015
Laboratory Management, Laboratory Management University, American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2015
Postgraduate Training
Resident, Clinical Pathology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2011-14
Research Fellow, Immunology, Kambayashi Lab, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 2012-15
Clinical Fellow, Transfusion Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 2014-15
Clinical Fellow, Cell Therapy, Clinical Cell and Vaccine Production Facility, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 2015-16
Awards and Honors
Inductee, Gold Humanism Honor Society, 2011
Kevin E. Salhany, MD Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Penn Medicine, 2016
Power of A Gold Award - AABB Cellular Therapies Certificate Program, American Society of Association Executives, 2019
SITC Team Science Award - Advanced T cell Engineering Against Malignancies (A-TEAM), Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, 2020
Simon Flexner Award for Contribution to Graduate Education, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Penn Medicine, 2022
Ajay P. Parashar Memorial Award for Excellence in Teaching, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, 2023
Memberships and Professional Organizations
Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB), 2011-present
-------- Cell Therapy Education Committee, 2015-20 (Chair, 2018-20)
-------- Annual Meeting Education Committee, 2020-present
-------- CT Current & Emerging Topics Committee, Co-Chair, 2020-present
-------- Foundations Course Planning Committee, Chair, 2022-present
College of American Pathologists (CAP), Resident Delegate, 2011-13
American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), 2011-present
-------- Immuno Oncology Workgroup, 2017-present
International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT), 2011-present
-------- Early Stage Professional Committee, 2015-present
-------- Immuno and Gene Therapy Committee, 2018-present
-------- Consultant to Cell Therapy Liaison Committee, 2019
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Ethics Committee, 2012-14
University of Pennsylvania, Institutional Review Board, 2014-present (Co-Chair, 2019-present)
Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT), Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 2016-present
-------- Associate Director, ITMAT Education, 2019-present
TerumoBCT, Advancing Apheresis Award Committee, 2017
American Society for Apheresis (ASFA), 2018-present
Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), Regenerative Medicine Task Force, 2018-21
National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute (NHLBI), Independent External Expert Panel, 2019
Vineti Clinical Advisory Board, 2021
Web Links
Selected Publications
Red cell exchange for rapid leukoreduction in adults with hyperleukocytosis and leukostasis
Mack EA, Dougher MC, Ginda A, Cahill CQ, Murter M, Schell K, Tanhehco YC, Bhoj V, Fesnak AD, Siegel DL, Kambayashi T, Aqui N, O'Doherty U. Blood blood.2023021895, Dec 2023. doi: 10.1182/blood.2023021895. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38052031.
A simulation-based comparison of centralized and point-of-care supply chain strategies for autologous cell therapy
Wang K, Tseng CY, Li Z, White C, Wang B, Levine BL, Fesnak AD. Cytotherapy 25(12):1370-1379, Dec 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.jcyt.2023.08.007. Epub 2023 Sep 22. PMID: 37747394.
Adverse Events of Cellular Immunotherapies (Chapter 28)
Fesnak AD, Raval JS. AABB Technical Manual, 21st Edition. Cohen C, Delaney M, Johnson ST, Katz LM, Schartz J (eds.). AABB, Pages 845-854, 2023.
Chimeric antigen receptor T cells and other cellular immunotherapies (Chapter 55)
Fesnak AD, Siegel DL. Rossi's Principles of Transfusion Medicine, Sixth Edition. Simon TL, Gehrie EA, McCullough J, Roback JD, Snyder EL (eds.). Wiley-Blackwell, Pages 633-641, 2022.
How do I: Evaluate the safety and legitimacy of unproven cellular therapies?
Guleria I, de Los Angeles Muñiz M, Wilgo M, Bapat A, Cui W, Hsu YS, Jeyaraman M, Muthu S, Rodriguez F, Fesnak A, Celluzzi C, Sesok-Pizzini D, Reich-Slotky R, Spitzer T. Transfusion 62(3):518-532, Mar 2022. doi: 10.1111/trf.16814. Epub 2022 Feb 10. PMID: 35143051.
A randomized controlled study of convalescent plasma for individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia
Bar KJ, Shaw PA, Choi GH, Aqui N, Fesnak A, Yang JB, Soto-Calderon H, Grajales L, Starr J, Andronov M, Mastellone M, Amonu C, Feret G, DeMarshall M, Buchanan M, Caturla M, Gordon J, Wanicur A, Monroy MA, Mampe F, Lindemuth E, Gouma S, Mullin AM, Barilla H, Pronina A, Irwin L, Thomas R, Eichinger RA, Demuth F, Luning Prak ET, Pascual JL, Short WR, Elovitz MA, Baron J, Meyer NJ, Degnan KO, Frank I, Hensley SE, Siegel DL, Tebas P. J Clin Invest 131(24):e155114, Dec 2021. doi: 10.1172/JCI155114. PMID: 34788233; PMCID: PMC8670841.
Humanized CD19-Targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells in CAR-Naive and CAR-Exposed Children and Young Adults With Relapsed or Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Myers RM, Li Y, Barz Leahy A, Barrett DM, Teachey DT, Callahan C, Fasano CC, Rheingold SR, DiNofia A, Wray L, Aplenc R, Baniewicz D, Liu H, Shaw PA, Pequignot E, Getz KD, Brogdon JL, Fesnak AD, Siegel DL, Davis MM, Bartoszek C, Lacey SF, Hexner EO, Chew A, Wertheim GB, Levine BL, June CH, Grupp SA, Maude SL. J Clin Oncol 39(27):3044-3055, Sep 2021. doi: 10.1200/JCO.20.03458. Epub 2021 Jun 22. PMID: 34156874; PMCID: PMC9851702.
The Challenge of Variability in Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell Manufacturing
Fesnak AD. Regen Eng Transl Med 6(3):322-329, Sep 2020. doi: 10.1007/s40883-019-00124-3. Epub 2019 Aug 19. PMID: 33313382; PMCID: PMC7728294.
CRISPR-engineered T cells in patients with refractory cancer
Stadtmauer EA, Fraietta JA, Davis MM, Cohen AD, Weber KL, Lancaster E, Mangan PA, Kulikovskaya I, Gupta M, Chen F, Tian L, Gonzalez VE, Xu J, Jung IY, Melenhorst JJ, Plesa G, Shea J, Matlawski T, Cervini A, Gaymon AL, Desjardins S, Lamontagne A, Salas-Mckee J, Fesnak A, Siegel DL, Levine BL, Jadlowsky JK, Young RM, Chew A, Hwang WT, Hexner EO, Carreno BM, Nobles CL, Bushman FD, Parker KR, Qi Y, Satpathy AT, Chang HY, Zhao Y, Lacey SF, June CH. Science 367(6481):eaba7365, Feb 2020. doi: 10.1126/science.aba7365. Epub 2020 Feb 6. PMID: 32029687.
Place of Academic GMP Facilities in Modern Cell Therapy
Bersenev A, Fesnak A. Methods Mol Biol 2097:329-339, 2020. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0203-4_21. PMID: 31776936.
