# David D. Chang
David D. Chang is an American physician-scientist in cancer immunotherapy who co-founded and leads Allogene Therapeutics and who, before entering industry, was an Associate Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the [University of California, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-california-los-angeles) (UCLA) and received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services section of the 1998 award roster.[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) • [2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881) He is known in industry for leading the development of Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel), the first chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for non-[Hodgkin lymphoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/hodgkin-lymphoma).[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) No standalone [Wikipedia](https://www.edgepedia.org/wikipedia) page exists for him; the existing "David Chang" page describes a different person, and the name is shared by several unrelated researchers, a problem this article addresses directly.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Field | Cancer immunotherapy, drug development |
| Training | B.S. biology, MIT; M.D. and Ph.D., Stanford; residency Brigham and Women's Hospital; oncology fellowship Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; HHMI postdoctoral fellow[2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881) |
| Academic post | Associate Professor of Medicine and of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA[2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881) |
| Industry roles | Amgen senior leadership 2002–2014; Kite Pharma EVP R&D and CMO; co-founder and CEO of Allogene Therapeutics[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) • [2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881) |
| Signature therapy | Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel), first CAR T therapy approved for non-Hodgkin lymphoma[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) |
## Education and training
Chang earned a [Bachelor of Science](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-science) in biology from the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/massachusetts-institute-of-technology) and M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University.[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at [Brigham and Women's Hospital](https://www.edgepedia.org/brigham-and-womens-hospital) and a fellowship in medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral fellow.[2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881)
## Academic and industry career
Before joining industry, Chang held dual appointments as Associate Professor of Medicine and of [Microbiology](https://www.edgepedia.org/microbiology), Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine.[2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881) His UCLA-era laboratory research includes co-authorship of a 1997 *Journal of Cell Biology* paper describing ICAP-1, a beta1 integrin cytoplasmic domain-associated protein that binds a conserved NPXY sequence motif of the beta1 integrin cytoplasmic tail; the author index entry lists him in UCLA's Departments of Medicine and Microbiology and [Immunology](https://www.edgepedia.org/immunology), matching his faculty appointments.[3](https://www.wikigenes.org/e/author/e/252604.html)
From 2002 to 2014, Chang held senior leadership roles at Amgen, including Vice President of Global Development and Head of Hematology-Oncology. There he led personalized therapy strategies underlying VECTIBIX (panitumumab).[2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881) His work at the company also contributed to Blincyto (blinatumomab), a bispecific T-cell engager antibody for acute lymphocytic leukemia, and IMLYGIC (talimogene laherparepvec), an oncolytic immunotherapy for melanoma.[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/)
He then joined [Kite Pharma](https://www.edgepedia.org/kite-pharma) as Executive Vice President, Research & Development, and Chief Medical Officer, where he led the development of Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel).[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) The pivotal multicenter phase 2 trial of axi-cel enrolled 111 patients with diffuse large [B-cell lymphoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/b-cell-lymphoma), primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, or transformed follicular lymphoma refractory to recommended prior therapy; the therapy was successfully manufactured for 110 patients (99%) and administered to 101 (91%). The objective response rate was 82% and the complete response rate was 54%, with 42% of patients maintaining a response at a median follow-up of 15.4 months.[4](https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1707447) These results supported Yescarta's approval as the first CAR T therapy for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/)
Chang is currently [President](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-corporate-title), Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Founder of Allogene Therapeutics, a company focused on allogeneic (off-the-shelf) CAR T-cell therapies.[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) He also serves as an advisor to [Vida Ventures](https://www.edgepedia.org/vida-ventures) and as Chairman of the Board of IconOVir.[2](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881)
## Key publications
Attribution of the publication record to this David D. Chang is complicated by several same-name researchers; the works below are summarized with their attribution status stated plainly.
**ICAP-1 discovery (1997).** A D.D. Chang at UCLA co-authored the description of ICAP-1, a novel beta1 integrin cytoplasmic domain-associated protein binding the NPXY motif of beta1 integrin. This paper is the retrieved work most clearly attributable to the subject, matching his documented UCLA departments.[3](https://www.wikigenes.org/e/author/e/252604.html)
**Axicabtagene ciloleucel phase 2 trial (2017, *New England Journal of Medicine*).** This trial, with about 4,900 citations per iCite, established an 82% objective response rate and 54% complete response rate in refractory large B-cell lymphoma.[4](https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1707447) As Kite's head of R&D and CMO, Chang was involved in the program,[1](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/) though he was not an author of the NEJM paper.
Several high-citation papers commonly aggregated under the name "David Chang" belong to other researchers and are not attributed to the subject here: the bortezomib desensitization and gene-expression-profiling heart transplant studies (2011, 2015) are attributed to a David H. Chang at [Cedars-Sinai Medical Center](https://www.edgepedia.org/cedars-sinai-medical-center) per ORCID records,[5](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5361-0035) while the Ghana WHO surgical-care and women-in-surgical-leadership studies (2011, 2014) match David C. Chang, Director of Outcomes Research in Surgery at UC San Diego and a 2004 Johns Hopkins PhD.[6](https://www.dcp-3.org/author/david-chang) For completeness of the record: the bortezomib study reported the first clinical use of plasma-cell depletion with bortezomib to reduce anti-HLA antibodies in heart transplant candidates, lowering mean calculated panel-reactive antibody from 62% to 35% (p = 0.01).[7](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healun.2011.08.009)
## Honours and recognition
One self-authored profile dates the award to January 1999 rather than 1998.
## References
1. [David Chang, MD, PhD — Two River](https://tworiver.com/david-chang-md-phd/)
2. [David D. Chang M.D., Ph.D. — Executive Bio, Equilar ExecAtlas](https://people.equilar.com/bio/person/david-chang-allogene-therapeutics-inc/6821881)
3. [WikiGenes — D.D. Chang](https://www.wikigenes.org/e/author/e/252604.html)
4. [Axicabtagene Ciloleucel CAR T-Cell Therapy in Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma, N Engl J Med (2017)](https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1707447)
5. [David H Chang — ORCID 0000-0002-5361-0035](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5361-0035)
6. [David Chang — DCP3 author profile](https://www.dcp-3.org/author/david-chang)
7. [Reduction of alloantibodies via proteasome inhibition in cardiac transplantation, J Heart Lung Transplant (2011)](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healun.2011.08.009)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Human health and medicine › Clinical assessment and procedures › Organ and tissue transplantation › Titles A to La*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license