Keynote Speaker Frederick Locke, MD

Dr. Locke is a medical oncologist and translational researcher in the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy. He leads the Immune Cell Therapy (ICE-T) initiative at Moffitt, an integrated cross-departmental translational team. Dr. Locke is a clinical research leader in the field of Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, acting as a national P.I. for several pivotal trials of anti-CD19 CARs for lymphoma. In addition, Dr. Locke is translating findings from his laboratory into new cellular immunotherapies such as the Moffitt created whole protein survivin tumor vaccine for multiple myeloma.

In the media

Throughout the years, Dr. Locke has repeatedly spoken publicly about his work for Moffitt. In 2017 he interviewed with NBC News and CBS News on his involvement in the clinical development nationwide of CAR-T cell therapy. He is the principal investigator of this experimental immunotherapy, calling it "a revolution in cancer care". The treatment involves collecting some of a patient’s immune cells (T-cells), genetically engineering those cells to fight cancer, and infusing them back into the patient's body.

Dr. Locke also spoke with Good Morning America in 2017 about a rare type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that affects cells in the immune system found around breast implants: breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma or BIA-ALCL. According to Dr. Locke, it's still not certain why this rare form of cancer occurs: "There may be something about the texture of the implant inducing some inflammation causing the cancer, but currently it’s not well understood why it happens."