AI-guided discovery
Integrating single-cell and other molecular data to identify therapeutic targets, prioritize opportunities, and generate testable hypotheses.
Artificial intelligence · Immunology · Synthetic biology
Decoding biology.
Engineering immunity.
Connecting AI-guided discovery with cellular engineering to develop new approaches to cancer therapy.
Daniel J. Baker, PhD
University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia
University of Pennsylvania · Philadelphia
Move to explore
The approach
Biology reveals the opportunity.
Engineering makes it actionable.
We bring computation and experimentation together to build the next generation of immune-cell therapies.
Research
Discovery meets design.
An integrated approach to finding what cancer exposes, deciding what to target, and engineering cells that can respond.
Engineered immunity
Building synthetic receptors and immune-cell programs to recognize disease, overcome biological barriers, and improve antitumor activity.
Experimental validation
Connecting computational predictions to biological evidence through molecular profiling, functional assays, and preclinical models.
From target discovery to cellular therapy
AI-driven discovery of GPNMB CAR T cells as a multi-cancer therapy
An AI-driven analysis of single-cell profiles nominated GPNMB as a therapeutic target. GPNMB-directed CAR T cells then demonstrated antitumor activity in preclinical cancer models—connecting computational discovery with functional validation.
Read the paperBaker DJ, Frommer LM, Uslu U, et al.
Cell 189, 3871–3882.e12 · June 25, 2026
Cell 189, 3871–3882.e12 · June 25, 2026
Selected publications
Ideas, evidence, and perspective.
2026
AI-driven discovery of GPNMB CAR T cells as a multi-cancer therapy
Cell
2025
Assessing the oncogenic risk: the long-term safety of autologous chimeric antigen receptor T cells
The Lancet
2023
CAR T therapy beyond cancer: the evolution of a living drug
Nature
2022
CAR T therapy extends its reach to autoimmune diseases
Cell
About
Daniel J. Baker,
PhD
Center for Cellular Immunotherapies
Perelman School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
I work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, cellular engineering, and cancer immunology.
My research asks how we can use biological data to uncover therapeutic opportunities, then build immune cells capable of acting on them. I connect computational approaches with experimental biology, with a particular focus on CAR T-cell therapies for solid tumors.
I completed my PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, working with Carl June and Zoltan Arany. My goal is to make discovery and therapeutic engineering part of one continuous process.
Scientific focusAI & omics
Synthetic biology
Engineered immune-cell therapies
Synthetic biology
Engineered immune-cell therapies
Based inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
People
The people behind the science.
Daniel J. BakerPhD
Artificial intelligence · Cellular engineering · Cancer immunology
About DanielDaniel Zhu
James George
Aarush Sahni
Angelina Zhang
Ali Tarhini
Contact
Ideas worth exploring.
For scientific collaborations, speaking invitations, and media inquiries, please get in touch.
bakerdj@upenn.edu
Philadelphia · University of Pennsylvania