Established by the Battle Foundation of Rocky Mount in 2007, the award honors exceptional cancer research at UNC-Chapel Hill. Recipients receive a $25,000 prize, and the award is supported by a permanent endowment held by the UNC Health Foundation.
About the Research
Internationally recognized leaders in cellular immunotherapy, Dotti and Savoldo joined UNC in 2015 to help build one of the nation’s leading CAR T-cell therapy programs. Their work focuses on harnessing a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer by engineering T-cells to better recognize and destroy tumor cells.
CAR T-cell therapy has demonstrated significant success in treating blood cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma, with meaningful remission rates among patients who previously had limited options. At UNC, Savoldo and Dotti have advanced this field further through clinical trials that are expanding the use of CAR T-cell therapies to solid tumors and improving outcomes for both adult and pediatric patients.
UNC Lineberger’s cellular therapy program now spans discovery, manufacturing, and clinical delivery, enabling innovative therapies to move efficiently from the laboratory to the bedside. Their collaborative, translational approach reflects the strength of partnerships across UNC Lineberger, the UNC School of Medicine, UNC Health, and the Department of Pediatrics.
About Barbara Savoldo, MD, PhD
Dr. Savoldo is the Champion Mitchell Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics and a nationally recognized leader in cell-based immunotherapy. She serves as assistant director of the UNC Lineberger Immunotherapy Program and brings more than a decade of experience in developing adoptive T-cell therapies for cancer. Dr. Savoldo earned her medical degree from the University of Parma in Italy, where she also completed a fellowship in hematology. She later pursued a Doctor of Philosophy at Baylor College of Medicine.
Her research focuses on enhancing the function and persistence of engineered immune cells to improve outcomes for patients with difficult-to-treat malignancies. Through collaborations across the UNC School of Medicine, UNC Health, and the Department of Pediatrics, Dr. Savoldo has played a key role in advancing innovative therapies from early discovery through clinical trials, with a continued emphasis on improving access and outcomes for both adult and pediatric populations.
Drs. Savoldo and Dotti will be recognized during a reception on Tuesday, June 2, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center Atrium.