Dr. Joseph Glorioso Recognized with the Pioneer Series Award by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Dr. Joseph Glorioso Recognized with the Pioneer Series Award by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

The peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2014. The journal will commemorate its silver anniversary in several ways, including publishing a series of Perspectives by Top Pioneers in the field of cell and gene therapy who will be featured in the 2014 issues of the journal. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Joseph Glorioso, PhD, was named a Top Pioneer for his development of HSV as a vector for gene therapy.

The leadership of Human Gene Therapy commissioned a blue ribbon panel of colleagues to identify the Pioneers. The charge to the Committee was to identify 12 scientists who have made seminal contributions to the field in the context of a career that has consistently contributed to cell and gene therapy research for an extended period of time. The committee defines a seminal contribution as a ground breaking clinical study or a basic/technical advance that has substantially influenced the direction and/or trajectory of translational research. In some instances the Pioneer award was shared amongst several scientists whose seminal work within a programmatic area could not be fairly singled out.

“Identifying the pioneers who have made current successes in gene therapy possible was a really interesting process. The committee agreed that a mixture of virologists, technologists, and clinicians had made essential contributions,” says Mary Collins, PhD, Chair of the Award Selection Committee.

Congratulations, Dr. Glorioso!