Terence R. Flotte, MD, the Celia and Isaac Haidak Professor, executive deputy chancellor, provost and dean of the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, appeared on “Giants of Gene Therapy,” a podcast series produced by the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy.
On May 8, Dr. Flotte was elected vice president of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy. He will take office on June 1 and will serve as vice president for two years before ascending to the role of president in 2025-2026.
This episode of the podcast, hosted by American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy president Hans-Peter Kiem, MD, PhD, is the sixth in the series that launched in October. The podcast format is one-on-one interviews with experts in the fields of cell and gene therapy.
Flotte shared how his journey into medicine started at the age of 14, when his father died following a cardiovascular event and how the tragedy inspired him to explore his interests in medicine.
“At a certain point in time, I really felt like I wanted to have a more direct impact on human outcomes on people. And I was intrigued by science. Often great opportunities are born out of difficult circumstances. (My father’s death) really created a sense in me that medicine had to do better so we didn't have as many tragic outcomes for people,” Flotte said. “I just felt like this was something that we needed to all fight for, for people to be healthier, live longer and not have these kinds of tragedies befall families.”
Dr. Kiem also asked Flotte what inspired him to work toward becoming dean and provost of the Medical School, his leadership approach at UMass Chan and what has helped him develop into a leader and administrator.
“Everything I’ve done in my individual career is based on trying to help patients, whether it is for research or through direct patient care. That’s what medical schools at their best are designed to do. One of the things that I learned is that you have to have these closeknit teams of people where you have clinicians and basic scientists working together. And that’s what we’ve tried to do,” Flotte said. “We tried to bring together great groups of people that include both those who understand the patients and the diseases and those who understand the basic biology and the vectors and the viruses upon which they’re based.”
Flotte is truly considered a “giant” in the gene therapy community. The interview highlights his role in 1995 as the principal investigator for the first use of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) in humans, using the vector in cystic fibrosis trial. He is the author of more than 280 scholarly papers and is the editor-in-chief of Human Gene Therapy, and its associated periodicals Human Gene Therapy Methods and Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development.
Flotte is currently investigating the use of gene therapy for genetic diseases in children, including alpha-1 antitrypsin, or AAT, deficiency and lysosomal storage diseases. He has been a member of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy since its founding in 1996 and previously served as an ASGCT board member.
The podcast is available on major podcast streaming platforms, including on Spotify, Google and Apple.
