HYDERABAD: The Genome Valley Excellence Award 2026 will be conferred upon Dr Bruce Levine of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine at BioAsia this year for his contributions to cell and gene therapy, engineered T cells, and cancer immunotherapy, Telangana govt said on Tuesday.Levine, who is the Barbara and Edward Netter Professor in cancer gene therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, is credited with advancing methods to genetically modify human cells safely and effectively. This helped accelerate the development of personalised “living” medicines.His research and clinical studies were central to progress in engineered T-cell approaches, including CAR T-cell therapies, and supported the pathway to the first US FDA-approved gene therapies for cancer, the Telangana govt, which hosts the annual biotech and life sciences conclave, said.The govt said he was being awarded the prestigious award as the impact of his work extends beyond discovery science to clinical translation, scalable manufacturing, and real-world deployment that has helped set benchmarks for translational biomedical research.His patents and involvement in biotechnology ventures were also cited as evidence of his ability to move innovations from the laboratory into broader use.Industries and IT minister D Sridhar Babu said Telangana was “proud” to honour Levine for work in CAR T-cell therapy and gene editing that significantly advanced global cancer care. “His innovations set new benchmarks in immunotherapy, and Telangana remains committed to recognising such contributions, shaping the future of medicine,” he said.IT and industries special chief secretary Sanjay Kumar said the award testifies to the global impact of Levine’s work in cell and gene therapy and BioAsia’s role in bringing together the brightest minds in life sciences.Telangana life sciences and pharma Director Shakthi M Nagappan said the honour recognises innovators pushing the boundaries of biomedical sciences on a global scale, and Dr Levine’s work exemplifies innovation in cancer gene therapy.