Enrique Montero, M.D., Ph.D.

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Enrique Montero, M.D., Ph.D.
Research Professor
Research Area
Immunotherapy
Immune Regulation
Autoimmunity and Cancer Interplay
Biotechnology
Appointments
Research Professor, Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute
Enrique Montero, M.D. Ph.D., is a research professor within the Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute at City of Hope. Dr. Montero has a broad background in Immunology and biotechnology, with over 25 years of experience developing immunotherapies for autoimmune diseases and cancer.
 
Dr. Montero has developed his career at the interplay between academia and the biopharmaceutical industry, closing the cycle from innovation to clinical application. His vision is to understand and intervene in the immune regulatory mechanisms with a translational approach, identifying innovative drugs for unmet medical needs.
 
Dr. Montero's scientific contributions include discovering CD6 involvement in lymphocyte immunobiology, inflammation and disease immunopathology. In addition, he led the registration of the first-in-class anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody for autoimmune diseases therapy. It is currently used for the treatment of COVID-19 complications. Dr. Montero has also contributed from the discovery to the medical use of three other monoclonal antibodies and cancer vaccines.
 
Dr. Montero's contributions to science have been recognized with various honors, scholarships and awards, including the Gold Medal Award from the World Intellectual Property Organization. Dr. Montero is the author of several patents, and his work has contributed to the inception of various biotech startup companies worldwide.
 
Dr. Montero is currently the scientific project lead of innovative approaches to treat type 1 diabetes and other inflammatory diseases. These include a cellular therapy using chimeric antigen receptors in regulatory T cells (CAR-Tregs) and a novel therapeutic technology platform combining regenerative medicine and immune intervention into single, bifunctional monoclonal antibodies.
 
Dr. Montero is a physician-scientist, receiving his medical degree with a first- and second-degree medical specialty in immunology and Ph.D. in immunology from Havana University. He has an active track teaching basic and clinical immunology and lectures on business in the biotech sector.

Education & Experience

Degrees

  • 2004, Ph.D., Immunology, Havana University, Cuba

  • 2001, Second Degree Medical Specialty, Immunology, Havana University, Cuba

  • 1993, First Degree Medical Specialty, Immunology, Havana University, Cuba

  • 1989, M.D., Doctor in Medicine, Santiago de Cuba University, Cuba

Fellowship

  • 2010, Visiting Scholar: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England

  • 2009, Brest University Medical School Hospital, Laboratory of Immunology, Brest, France

  • 2008, Institut für Medizinische Immunologie, Charité, Medizinische Universität Berlin, Germany

  • 2005, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA

  • 2001, Institute for Biochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, ETZ-Zentrum, Zurich, Switzerland

  • 2000, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, Oeiras, Portugal

  • 1999, Immunology & Autoimmunity (Basic Research), Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel

  • 1996, Postdoctoral training in Cancer Biology & Therapy (Clinical Research) at the Istituto Oncologico della Svizzera Italiana, San Giovanni Hospital, Bellinzona, Switzerland

  • 1996, Immunology & Autoimmunity (Basic Research) at Pasteur Institute, Paris, France

Professional Experience

  • 2016-present, Research Professor, Arthur Riggs Diabetes & Metabolism Research Institute at City of Hope, Duarte, CA

  • 2015-2019, Visiting Scholar, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, La Jolla, CA

  • 2010-2015, Chief Scientific Officer, Experimental Immunology, Biocon Limited, Bangalore, India

  • 1994-2010, Founder, Center of Molecular Immunology, Havana, Cuba

  • 2002-2010, Department Head, Experimental Immunotherapy

  • 1994-2001, Principal Investigator, Global Project Scientific Leader, Clinical Immunology Division

  • 1993-1994, Clinical Immunologist, Professor of Immunology, School of Medicine, Holguin, Cuba

  • 1989-1993, Resident in Immunology, School of Medicine and “Hermanos Ameijeiras” Hospital, Havana, Cuba

Research

Lab Members

Currently focused on the initiative of The Wanek Family Project for Type 1 Diabetes at City of Hope to develop a cure for this unmet medical need. Contributions with projects structured on fostering synergy between autoimmune diseases and cancer research with the strategy centered on innovation toward the development of novel immunotherapies:
  • CAR Tregs adoptive therapy for type 1 diabetes
  • Therapeutic targeting of the human islet environment with multifunctional monoclonal antibodies
  • CD6 immunomodulatory role in type 1 diabetes
  • Targeting insulitic-extracellular matrix for therapeutic intervention in type 1 diabetes
  • Signaling domain technology platform improving CAR T cells anti-cancer therapeutic index

Awards & Memberships

Awards

  • 2015, Gold Medal Award to the inventors. World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

  • 2014, National Annual Prize. Cuban Academy of Sciences, Havana, Cuba

  • 2013, National Annual Prize. Cuban Academy of Sciences, Havana, Cuba

  • 2012, National Annual Prize on Health. Ministry of Public Health and the National Council of Scientific Societies on Health, Havana, Cuba

  • 2011, Scholarship. 2nd Clinical Immunology Society Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL

  • 2010, National Annual Prize. Cuban Academy of Sciences, Havana, Cuba

  • 2009, National Annual Prize. Cuban Academy of Sciences, Havana, Cuba

  • 2008, Annual Award. Cuban Society of Immunology, Havana, Cuba

  • 2008, First Level Biotechnologist in Biopharmaceuticals. Certification Board, Havana, Cuba

  • 2007, Annual Award. Cuban Society of Immunology, Havana, Cuba

  • 2006, Scholarship. II Latin-American Autoimmunity Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  • 2004, Special Prize to the Result with the Highest Scientific Impact. Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, Havana, Cuba

  • 2004, National Annual Prize. Cuban Academy of Sciences, Havana, Cuba

  • 2004, National Annual Recognition Award for outstanding performance in the field of sciences, Havana, Cuba

  • 2003, Scholarship EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization), Instituto Juan March de Estudios e Investigaciones, and Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia, Lisbon, Portugal

  • 2002, Scholarship. 3rd International Congress on Autoimmunity, Geneva, Switzerland

  • 2001, Scholarship. EAACI (European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology), Davos, Switzerland

  • 2001, Specialty Board Certification in Immunology. Ministry of Public Health, Havana, Cuba

  • 1998, Commemorative medal “30 Anniversary of the Cuban Academy of Sciences” to young researchers. Cuban Academy of Sciences, Havana, Cuba

  • 1998, Scholarship. The Center for the Study of Emerging Diseases, Jerusalem, Israel

  • 1996, Scholarship. ESMO/ESO (European Society of Medical Oncology / European School of Oncology), Ascona, Switzerland

Memberships

  • 2015-present, The American Association of Immunologists

  • 2006-present, Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies