Daniel Kavanagh, PhD

Dr. Kavanagh serves as scientific lead in the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) Services division, and works closely with sponsors, CROs, and institutions to establish IBC oversight of gene transfer trials. Prior to joining WCG, Dr. Kavanagh was assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, assistant immunologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and a principal investigator studying infectious diseases at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT, and Harvard.

While at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Kavanagh served as vice chair of the Partners Institutional Biosafety Committee, which oversees biosafety at two main Harvard teaching hospitals. He was also co-chair of a Phase 1 clinical trial of an autologous mRNA-transfected dendritic cell vaccine in HIV+ subjects. In addition, he served as director of the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research Biosafety Level 3 Core.

Dr. Kavanagh’s scientific research has focused on factors that modulate the T cell response to infectious diseases and tumors, including antigen processing, TCR signaling, costimulation, and checkpoint signaling integration. He has coauthored 37 peer-reviewed papers in journals including Nature Immunology, Blood, The Journal of Experimental Medicine, and the Journal of Immunology.

Dr. Kavanagh received a PhD in molecular microbiology and immunology from the Oregon Health and Science University. He completed his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, and the Rockefeller University, New York, NY.

Dr. Kavanagh also holds the RAC credential through the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society.