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Laurence J. Cooper, M.D., Ph.D.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics Patient Care, Division of Pediatrics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Grant Taylor, W. W. Sutow and Margaret Sullivan Distinguished Professor, Pediatrics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Section Chief, Cell Therapy, Children's Cancer Hospital, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Director, Immunology Laboratory of Physician Scientists, Immunology Laboratory for Physician Scientist, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment

Associate Professor, Department of Immunology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Bio Statement

Dr. Laurence J.N. Cooper obtained his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and then training in Pediatric Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) at the Fred Hutchinson cancer Research Center in Seattle. He joined M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in 2006 and currently leads the Pediatric Cell Therapy service (formally named the BMT program). In addition to caring for children, adolescents and young adults undergoing autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT), he runs a laboratory translating immunology into clinical practice. His program has multiple investigator-initiated trials that infuse T cells and NK cells to target malignancies. The adoptive transfer of lymphocytes represents the future of HSCT as he and other investigators enhance the potency of the immune system to eliminate residual cancers.

University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences website: http://gsbs.uth.tmc.edu/tutorial/cooper.html

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

1994 Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, MD, Medical
1993 Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, PHD, Immunology
1986 Kenyon College, Gambier, OH, BA, Biology

Postgraduate Training

7/1996-6/1999 Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, Irv Bernstein
7/1996-6/1999 Post-Doctoral Training, Immunology, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, Phil Greenburg
6/1994-7/1996 Pediatric Resident, Pediatric Resident, University of Washington, Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, WA, Richard Sugarman

Board Certifications

1/1999 American Board of Pediatrics

Experience/Service

Academic Appointments

Associate Director - Center for Cancer Immunology Research, Department of Immunology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2/2009-present
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, 1/2001-1/2005
Assistant Professor, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, 1/2001-1/2005
Acting Pediatrics Instructor and Research Associate, Division of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 1/1999-1/2001

Other Appointments/Responsibilities

Member, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, P01 Advisory Board, Little Rock, AR, 2009-present
Committee Member, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association - Technology Evaluation Center, Houston, TX, 2009-present

Consultantships

Advisor, Novo Nordisk, Inc, Princeton, NJ, 2007
Advisor, Xolair Pediatric Oncology Advisory Board, Florham Park, NJ, 2007

Institutional Committee Activities

Member, Multidisciplinary Research Advisory Committee, 2009-2012
Faculty, Faculty Strategic Planning Research Retreat, 2009
Member, Steering Committee Institute of Personalized Advanced Cancer Therapy (IPACT), 2008
Member, Flow Cymetry & Cellular Imaging Core Facility Users Committee, 2007
Member, GMP Steering Committee, 2006

Honors and Awards

2009-present Faculty Scholar Awards, MD Anderson Cancer Center
2008-present Clinical Scientist Award in Translational Research, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
2007 Induction into the American Society for Clinical Investigation
2004 American Society of Gene Therapy Young Investigator Award, ASGT
2002-2004 Kimmel Fellow, Kimmel Foundation
1999-2002 Leukemia Society of America Fellow, Leukemia Society
1999-2001 Scholar Award, NIH Child Health Research Center
1999 E. Donnall Thomas Fellowship
1999 Young Investigator Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology
1994 The Henry F. Sanders' Award in Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University
1987-1994 Medical Scientist Training Program Predoctoral Fellowship, NIH
1986 Phi Beta Kapa

Professional Memberships

American Society Bone Marrow Transplant
Organizing Committee Member, 2006-present
American Society for Clinical Investigation, Ann Arbor, MI
ASCI Nomination Committee, 9/2009-present
American Society of Bone Marrow Transplant
Member, 2006-present
American Society of Gene Therapy
Committee Member, 2004-present
American Society of Gene Therapy Committee
Chair, 2009-2010
American Society of Hematology
Member, 2006-present
American Society of Pediatric Hematology / Oncology
Member, 2006-present
ASGT Cancer Gene Therapy Committee
Member, 2008-present
BMT CTN Steering Committee Meeting, Arlington, VA
Member, 7/2008-present
BMT Steering Committee, Houston, TX
Member, 7/2007-present
California Medical Association, Los Angeles, CA
Member, 2002-present
Cancer Gene Therapy Committee Meeting
Chair, 2009-present
Cellular Therapeutics SG, Vancouver, Canada
Vice Chair, 2007-present
CIBMTR
Co-Chair nomination of Pediatric Cancer Committee, 10/2008-present
Harris County Medical Society, Houston, TX
Member, 2006-present
International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer
Committee Member, 2005-present
ISCT Immunotherapy Committee, Vancouver, Canada
Committee Member, 1/2007-present
Lymphoma Research Foundation
Follicular Lymphoma Consortium member, 2008-present
NCI, Peiatric Oncology Branch Steering Committee
Steering Committee, 10/2008-present
PBMTC PSIG Committee, Vancouver, Canada, Canada
Chair, 2010-present
PBMTC Steering Committee, Arcadia, CA
Vice-chair, 1/2007-present
Pediatric Tandem BMT Meetings Organizing Committee
Chair, 2010-present
Pediatric Tandem BMT Meetings Organizing Committee
Vice-chair, 2009-present

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Galvan DL, Nakazawa Y, Kaja A, Kettlun C, Cooper LJ, Rooney CM, Wilson MH. Genome-wide Mapping of PiggyBac Transposon Integrations in Primary Human T Cells. J Immunother, 9/2009. e-Pub 9/2009. PMID: 19752750.
2. Dotti G, Tian M, Savoldo B, Najjar A, Cooper LJ, Jackson J, Smith A, Mawlawi O, Uthamanthil R, Borne A, Brammer D, Paolillo V, Alauddin M, Gonzalez C, Steiner D, Decker WK, Marini F, Kornblau S, Bollard CM, Shpall EJ, Gelovani JG. Repetitive noninvasive monitoring of HSV1-tk-expressing T cells intravenously infused into nonhuman primates using positron emission tomography and computed tomography with 18F-FEAU. Mol Imaging 8(4):230-7, Jul-Aug, 7/2009. PMID: 19728977.
3. Singh H, Najjar AM, Olivares S, Nishii R, Mukhopadhyay U, Alauddin M, Manuri PR, Huls H, Lee DA, Dotti G, Bollard C, Simmons PJ, Shpall EJ, Champlin RE, Gelovani JG, Cooper LJN. PET Imaging of T Cells Derived from Umbilical Cord Blood. Leukemia 23(3):620-622, 3/2009. e-Pub 10/2008. PMID: 18830258.
4. Pulsipher MA, Bader P, Klingebiel T, Cooper LJN. Allogeneic Transplantation for Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: The Emerging Role of Peritransplantation Minimal Residual Disease/Chimerism Monitoring and Novel Chemotherapeutic, Molecular, and Immune Approaches Aimed at Preventing Relapse. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 15(1):62-71, 1/2009. PMID: 19147081.
5. Cooper LJ. New Approaches to Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplantation in Pediatric Cancers. Current Oncology Reports 11:423-30, 2009.
6. Bollard CM, Cooper LJ, Heslop HE. Immunotherapy targeting EBV-expressing lymphoproliferative diseases. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 21(3):405-420, 9/2008. PMCID: PMC2610025.
7. Rabinovich BA, Ye Y, Etto T, Chen JQ, Levitsky HI, Overwijk WW, Cooper LJ, Gelovani J, Hwu P. Visualizing fewer than 10 mouse T cells with an enhanced firefly luciferase in immunocompetent mouse models of cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(38):14342-6, 9/2008. e-Pub 9/2008. PMCID: PMC2567214.
8. Singh H, Manuri PR, Olivares S, Dara N, Dawson MJ, Huls H, Hackett PB, Kohn DB, Shpall EJ, Champlin RE, Cooper LJ. Redirecting specificity of T-cell populations for CD19 using the Sleeping Beauty system. Cancer Res 68(8):2961-71, 4/2008. PMCID: PMC2424272.
9. Numbenjapon T, Serrano LM, Chang WC, Forman SJ, Jensen MC, Cooper LJ. Antigen-independent and dependent methods to numerically expand CD19-specific CD8+ T cells. Exp Hemat 35(7):1083-90, 7/2007.
10. Singh H, Serrano LM, Pfeiffer T, Olivares S, McNamara G, Smith DD, Al-Kadhimi Z, Forman SJ, Gillies SD, Jensen MC, Colcher D, Raubitschek R, Cooper LJ. Combining adoptive cellular and immunocytokine therapies to improve treatment of B lineage malignancy. Cancer Res 67(6):2872-80, 3/2007. PMID: 17363611.
11. Komanduri KV, St. John LS, de Lima M, McMannis J, Rosinski S, McNiece I, Bryan SG, Kaur I, Martin S, Wieder ED, Worth L, Cooper LJN, Petropoulos D, Molldrem JJ, Champlin RE, Shpall EJ. Delayed immune reconstitution after cord blood transplantation is characterized by impaired thymopoeisis and late memory T cell skewing. Blood 110(13):4543-4551, 2007. PMCID: PMC2234787.
12. DiGiusto DL, Cooper LJ. Preparing clinical grade Ag-specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy trials. Cytotherapy 9(7):613-29, 2007. PMCID: PMC2238678.
13. Kowolik CM, Topp MS, Gonzalez S, Pfeiffer T, Olivares S, Gonzalez N, Smith DD, Forman SJ, Jensen MC, Cooper LJN. CD28 costimulation provided through a CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor enhances in vivo persistence and anti-tumor efficacy of adoptively transferred T cells. Cancer Res 66(22):10995-11004, 11/15/2006. PMID: 17108138.
14. Numbenjapon T, Serrano LM, Singh H, Kowolik C, Olivares S, Gonzalez G, Chang WC, Forman SJ, Jensen MC, Cooper LJN. Characterization of an artificial antigen presenting cell to propagate cytolytic CD19-specific T cells. Leukemia 20(10):1889-92, 10/2006. PMID: 17041638.
15. Serrano LM, Pfeiffer T, Olivares S, Numbenjapon T, Bennitt J, Kim D, Smith D, McNamara G, Al-Kadhimi Z, Rosenthal J, Forman SJ Jensen MC, Cooper LJN. Differentiation of naive cord-blood T cells into CD19-specific cytolytic effectors for posttransplantation adoptive immunotherapy. Blood 107(7):2643-53, 4/1/2006. e-Pub 12/13/2005. PMCID: PMC1895371.
16. Cooper LJN, Ausubel L, Gutierrez M, Stephan S, Shakeley R, Olivares S, Serrano L, Burton L, Jensen M, Forman S, DiGiusto D. Manufacturing of gene-modified cytotoxic T lymphocytes for autologous cellular therapy for lymphoma. Cytotherapy 8(2):105-117, 2006. PMID: 16698684.
17. Morris K, Castanotto D, Al-Kadhimi Z, Jensen M, Rossi J, Cooper LJ. Enhancing siRNA effects in T cells for adoptive immunotherapy. Hematology 10(6):461-67, 12/2005. PMID: 16321811.
18. Vishwanath RP, Brown CE, Wagner JR, Meechoovet HB, Naranjo A, Wright CL, Olivares S, Qian D, Cooper LJ, Jensen MC. A quantitative high-throughput chemotaxis assay using bioluminescent reporter cells. J Immunol Methods 302(1-2):78-89, 7/2005. PMID: 15987642.
19. Gonzalez S, Castanotto D, Li H, Olivares S, Jensen MC, Forman SJ, Rossi JJ, Cooper LJ. Amplification of RNAi-targeting HLA mRNAs. Mol Ther 11(5):811-18, 5/2005. PMID: 15851019.
20. Cooper LJ, Al-Kadhimi Z, Serrano LM Pfeiffer T, Olivares S, Castro A, Chang WC, Gonzalez S, Forman SJ, Jensen MC. Enhanced antilymphoma efficacy of CD19-redirected influenza MP1-specific CTL's by co-transfer of T cells modified to present influenza MP1. Blood 105(4):1622-31, 2/2005. e-Pub 10/2004. PMID: 15507526.
21. Cooper LJ, Al-Kadhimi Z, DiGiusto D, Kalos M, Colcher D, Raubitschek A, Forman SJ, Jensen MC. Development and application of CD19-specific T cells for adoptive immunotherapy of B cell malignancies. Blood Cells Mol Dis 33(1):83-89, Jul-Aug, 7/2004. PMID: 15223016.
22. Cooper LJ, Topp MS, Pinzon C, Riddell SR, Jensen MC, Greenberg PD. Enhanced transgene expression in quiescent and activated human CD8+ T cells. Hum Gene Ther 15(7):648-58, 7/2004. PMID: 15242525.
23. Brown CE, Wright CL, Naranjo A, Vishwanath RP, Chang WC, Olivares S, Wagner JR, Bruins L, Raubitschek A, Cooper LJ, Jensen MC. Biophotonic cytolysis assay for high-throughput screening of immunologic effector cell cytotoxicity. J Immunol Methods 297(1-2):39-52, 2004.
24. Kahlon KS, Brown C, Cooper LJ, Raubitschek A, Forman SJ, Jensen MC. Specific recognition and killing of glioblastoma multiform by interleukin 13-zetakine redirected cytolytic T cells. Cancer Res 64:9160-66, 2004.
25. Cooper LJ, Topp MS, Serrano LM, Gonzalez S, Chang WC, Naranjo A, Wright C, Popplewell L, Raubitschek A, Forman SJ, Jensen MC. T cell clones can be rendered specific for CD19: toward the selective augmentation of the graft-versus-B-lineage leukemia effect. Blood 101(4):1637-44, 2/15/2003. e-Pub 10/10/2002. PMID: 12393484.
26. Jensen MC, Cooper LJ, Wu AM, Forman SJ, Raubitschek A. Engineered CD20-specific primary human cytotoxic T lymphocytes for targeting B-cell malignancy. Cytotherapy 5(2):131-8, 2003. PMID: 12745575.
27. Cooper LJ, Shannon KM, Loken MR, Weaver M, Stephens K, Sievers EL. Evidence that juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia can arise from a pluripotential stem cell. Blood 96(6):2310-13, 9/15/2000. PMID: 10979983.
28. Cooper LJ, Kalas M, Lewinsohn DA, Riddell SR, Greenberg PD. Transfer of specificity for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 into primary human T lymphocytes by introduction of T cell receptor genes. J Virol 74(17):8207-12, 9/2000. PMCID: PMC112357.
29. Crookston KP, Reiner AP, Cooper LJ, Sacher Ra, Blajchman MA, Heddle NM. RBC T activation and hemolysis:implications for pediatric transfusion management. Transfusion 40(7):801-12, 7/2000. PMID: 10924607.
30. Riddell SR, Warren EH, Gavin MA, Akatsuka Y, Lewinsohn D, Multimer H, Cooper LJ, Top MS, Bonini C, Greenberg PD. Immunotherapy of human viral and malignant diseases with genetically modified T cell clones. Cancer J Suppl 3:S250-58, 2000.
31. Greenspan NS and Cooper LJ. Complementarity, specificity, and the nature of epitopes and paratopes in multivalent interactions. Immunology Today 16:226-30, 1995.
32. Cooper LJ, Robertson D, Rininger J, Granzow R, Greenspan NS. Variable domain-identical antibodies exhibit IgG subclass-related differences in affinity and kinetic constants as determined by surface plasmon resonance. Mol Immunol 31:577-84, 1994.
33. Greenspan NS and Cooper LJ. Cooperative binding by mouse IgG3 antibodies: implications for functional affinity, effector function, and isotype restriction. Springer Semin Immunopath 15:275-91, 1993.
34. Schreiber JR, Cooper LJ, Diehn S, Patawaran M, Glass DD, Tosi MF, Greenspan NS. IgG subclass affects function of antibodies directed to the O-specific side chain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS. J Infect Dis 167:221-26, 1993.
35. Cooper LJ, Shikhman AR, Glass DD, Kangisser D, Cunningham MW, Greenspan NS. Role of heavy chain constant domains in antibody-antigen interaction: apparent specificity differences among streptococcal IgG antibodies expressing identical variable domains. J Immunol 150:2231-42, 1993.
36. Greenspan NS and Cooper LJ. Intermolecular cooperativity: a clue to why mice have IgG3? Immunology Today 13:164-68, 1992.
37. Cooper LJ, Schimenti JC, Glass DD, Greenspan NS. H chain C domains influence the strength of binding of IgG for streptococcal group A carbohydrate. J Immunol 146:2659-63, 1991.
38. Greenspan NS, Dacek DA, Cooper LJ. Cooperative binding of two antibodies to independent antigens by an Fc-dependent mechanism. FASEB J 3:2203-07, 1989.
39. Greenspan NS, Dacek DA, Cooper LJ. Fc region-dependence of IgG3 anti-streptococcal group A carbohydrate antibody functional affinity. The effect of temperature. J Immunol 141:4276-82, 1988.

Invited Articles
1. Cooper LJ. Adoptive cellular immunotherapy for childhood malignancies. Bone Marrow Transplant 41(2):183-92, 1/2008. e-Pub 11/2007. PMID: 18026145.
2. Grupp SA, Verneris M, Sondel PM, Cooper LJ. Immunotherapy for pediatric cancer. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 14(1 Suppl 1):33-43, 1/2008. PMID: 18162219.
3. Gress RE, Komanduri KV, Einsele H, Cooper LJ. Lymphoid reconstruction and vaccines. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 13(1 Suppl 1):1083-90, 1/2007. PMCID: PMC1858644.
4. Cooper LJ. Long Live T Cells. Blood 105(1):8-9, 2005.
5. Cooper LJ, Kalos M, DiGiusto D, Brown C, Forman SJ, Raubitschek A, Jensen MC. T cell genetic modification for re-directed tumor recognition. Cancer Chemother Biol Response Modif 22:293-324, 2005. PMID: 16110618.
Other Articles
1. Cooper LJ. Persuading natural killer cells to eliminate bad B cells. Clin Cancer Res 15(15):4790-1, 8/2009. e-Pub 7/2009. PMCID: PMC2730884.
2. Capitini CM, Cooper LJ, Egeler RM, Handgretinger R, Locatelli F, Sondel PM, Mackall CL. Highlights of the First International Immunotherapy in Pediatric Oncology: Progress and Challenges Meeting. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol 31(4):227-44, 4/2009. PMCID: PMC2714285.
3. Cooper LJN. Test-driving CARs. Blood 112(6):2261-71, 9/2008. PMID: 18779394.

Book Chapters
1. Riddell SR, Warren EH, Lewinsohn D, Mutimer H, Topp M, Cooper LJ, de Freis R, Greenberg PD. Application of T cell immunotherapy for human viral and malignant diseases. In: Therapeutic Vaccination Strategies. Walden P, Sterry W, Hennekes H (Eds): Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 53-73, 2000.
2. Greenspan NS and Cooper LJ. Implications of cooperativity and dimensional complexity for immunological recognition. In: Theoretical and Experimental Insights into Immunology. Perelson AS, Weisbuch G (EDS): Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 263-278, 1992.

Books (edited and written)
1. Cooper LJN. Pediatric hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation - Cell therapies for children. Springer, 2008.

Last updated: 10/23/2009