# Steven A. Rosenberg

Source: https://onco.cc/people/steven-rosenberg/  
OnCo record `steven-rosenberg` (Person). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Father of cancer immunotherapy: first to cure patients with IL-2 and with their own tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes.

## Summary

Steven A. Rosenberg is Chief of the Surgery Branch in the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute. He is regarded as the father of cancer immunotherapy, the first to cure patients with interleukin-2 and with their own tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, and over four decades at NCI he pioneered IL-2, TIL therapy and gene-modified T cells. His selected papers report cancer regression after transfer of genetically engineered lymphocytes and T-cell transfer therapy targeting mutant KRAS. His branch's TIL work led to lifileucel and to neoantigen-specific TCR-T cells against KRAS and TP53 mutations in melanoma and colorectal cancer.

## Fields

- Kind: Person
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Role: Chief, Surgery Branch, Center for Cancer Research
- Specialisms: Adoptive cell therapy; TIL therapy; Neoantigen-specific T cells

## Sources

- NCI CCR profile: https://ccr.cancer.gov/staff-directory/steven-a-rosenberg
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Rosenberg%20SA%5BAuthor%5D

## Connected records

- cancers: [Colorectal cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/colorectal/), [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/)
- technologies: [Cytokines & engineered cytokines](https://onco.cc/technologies/cytokine-therapy/), [TCR-T cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/tcr-t/), [TIL therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/til-therapy/)
- targets: [KRAS](https://onco.cc/targets/kras/), [TP53](https://onco.cc/targets/tp53/)
- drugs: [Lifileucel](https://onco.cc/drugs/lifileucel/)
- institutions: [National Cancer Institute (NIH)](https://onco.cc/institutions/nci/), [NCI Center for Cancer Research (intramural programme)](https://onco.cc/institutions/nci-ccr/)
- key papers: [C-144-01: lifileucel, tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes grown from a patient's own tumour, in melanoma after checkpoint inhibitors have failed](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-c-144-01-lifileucel-melanoma-jco-2021/)

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