Yeong “Christopher” Choi

PhD, MBA
Immunology

Research Interests:

Cell and Gene Therapies Process Development GMP Manufacturing

About Yeong “Christopher” Choi

Biography:

Christopher Choi, PhD, MBA, joined Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center as Senior Vice President, Industry Partnerships; Technical Director, GMP Facility; Associate Professor of Oncology and brings 20 years of experience in cell and gene therapy GMP manufacturing, Business Operations, Quality and Process Development.  

Dr. Choi was most recently at CRISPR Therapeutics as the Vice President of Process Development (PD) where the Process Design, MSAT and Facilities, Utilities and Systems Engineering groups reported into him. Immediately prior to CrisprTx, Dr. Choi served as the Global Head of PD Business Operations and PD Site Head for RDMC-E at Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, where the Process Design (Cell and Gene Transfer), Analytical Development, MSAT, Lab Operations, Project Management and Knowledge Management groups reported into him. During his career, Dr. Choi has led the design, construction, Commissioning, Qualification, Validation, startup and operation of numerous GMP viral, cell and gene therapy manufacturing facilities. He has also been involved in numerous early and late-stage INDs as well as commercial BLAs and MAAs. 

Dr. Choi received his BS in Biology from the University of California at Irvine (UCI), his PhD in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine, and his MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management.

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Associate Professor of Oncology
  • Department of Medicine
  • Senior Vice President of Industry Partnerships
  • Technical Director, GMP Facility
  • Center for Immunotherapy

Background

Education and Training:

  • PhD -Molecular Microbiology & Immunology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
  • MBA - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA

Publications

1. Burns M, Singh AK, Hoefer CC, Zhang Y, Wallace PK, Chen GL, Platek A, Winslow TB, Iovoli AJ, Choi C, Ross M, McCarthy PL, Hahn T. Impact of conditioning regimen and total body irradiation on PBHCT. World Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2019 Feb 24;10(2):86-97. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v10.i2.86.

2. Amro Elshoury, Wallace PK, Borowitz MJ, Kader A, Choi C, Ho C, Balderman S, Ross M, Hahn T, O'Neill V, McCarthy PL, Chen GL. BPX-501 T cells interfere with minimal residual disease evaluation of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2018 May;53(5):651-653. doi: 10.1038/s41409-017-0036-x. Epub 2018 Jan 17.

3. Shaw KL, Garabedian E, Mishra S, Barman P, Davila A, Carbonaro D, Shupien S, Silvin C, Geiger S, Nowicki B, Smogorzewska EM, Brown B, Wang X, de Oliveira S, Choi Y, Ikeda A, Terrazas D, Fu PY, Yu A, Fernandez BC, Cooper AR, Engel B, Podsakoff G, Balamurugan A, Anderson S, Muul L, Jagadeesh GJ, Kapoor N, Tse J, Moore TB, Purdy K, Rishi R, Mohan K, Skoda-Smith S, Buchbinder D, Abraham RS, Scharenberg A, Yang OO, Cornetta K, Gjertson D, Hershfield M, Sokolic R, Candotti F, Kohn DB. (2017) Clinical efficacy of gene-modified stem cells in adenosine deaminase-deficient immunodeficiency. J Clin Invest. 2017 May 1;127(5):1689-1699. doi: 10.1172/JCI90367

4. Candotti F, Shaw KL, Muul L, Carbonaro D, Sokolic R, Choi C, Shepherd S, Garabedian E, Kesserwan C, Jagadeesh G, Dunbar CE, Tisdale JF, Weinberg KI, Crooks GM, Kapoor N, Shah A, Abdel-Azim H, Yu X, Smogorzewska M, Wayne AS, Roswenblatt HM, Davis CM, Hanson C, Rishi RG, Wang X, Gjertson D, Fu P, Yange OO, Balamurugan A, Bauer G, Engel BC, Podsakoff GM, Hershfield M, Blaese RM, Parkman R, and Kohn DB. (2012) Gene Therapy for Adenosine Deaminase-deficient server combined immune Deficiency: Clinical Comparison of Retroviral Vectors and Treatment Plans. Blood Volume 120, no. 18, pgs. 3635-3646.

5. Kahl CA, Tarantal AF, Lee CI, Jimenez DF, Choi C, Pepper K, Petersen D, Fletcher MD, Leapley AC, Fisher J, Burns TS, Ultsch MN, Dorey FJ, Kohn DB. (2006) Effects of busulfan dose escalation on engraftment of infant rhesus monkey hematopoietic stem cells after gene marking by a lentiviral vector. Exp Hematol. Volume 34, Issue 3, pgs. 369-81.