Rabi Hanna
| Rabi Hanna | |
|---|---|
| Born | Qamishli, Syria |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Rabi Hanna is an Assyrian-American pediatric hematologist-oncologist and academic physician based in Cleveland, Ohio. He serves as Chairman of the Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital, where he is also the founding director of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant program.[1] At Cleveland Clinic, he leads a team of over 70 doctors and researchers.[2] He holds the position of Associate Professor at both the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and is a member of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.[3][4] He also serves as Co-Director of the Pediatric Cancer Program at Cleveland Clinic.[1]
Hanna is internationally recognized for his work in gene therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and the treatment of pediatric blood cancers and inherited blood disorders. He is the lead investigator of the RUBY Trial, a landmark multicenter clinical study evaluating CRISPR/Cas12a gene-editing therapy for severe sickle cell disease, the results of which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.[5] He is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Pediatric Lymphoma Committee, the national body responsible for setting treatment guidelines for pediatric aggressive lymphoma across the United States.[1] He has contributed over 100 papers and presentations to national and international medical conferences and journals.[1] He has been named a U.S. News Top Doctor by Castle Connolly every year from 2014 to 2025.[1]
In 2018, Hanna co-founded Lamassu Pharma in partnership with the Mayo Clinic, where he serves as Chief Medical Officer, advancing two drugs currently in active clinical trials.[2]
Early life and background
Rabi Hanna was born in Qamishli, Syria, a city in the northeastern part of the country with a historically significant Assyrian Christian population.[2] He is of Assyrian heritage, a community with deep roots in the region and among the primary speakers of the Aramaic language.[2] He and his brother, Dr. Gabi Hanna, were raised by their parents: Saydi Jalma, an educator, and Elias Hanna, an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former Chairman of Commerce in Qamishli.[2] Their parents instilled in them a commitment to service, excellence, and the preservation of their Assyrian heritage.[2]
Two experiences in his early life directly shaped his medical career. At six years old, he developed a limp and was unable to bear weight. An orthopaedist diagnosed him with Legg-Calve-Perthes disease and told him he could no longer play soccer. Rather than leaving the young Hanna without an outlet, the doctor taught him to play chess, inspiring him to pursue medicine and, in his own words, become someone who could take a sad situation and make the best of it.[6] During his fifth year of medical school, his aunt was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and required a bone marrow transplant. His mother served as the donor, and the two traveled to Belgium for the procedure. This experience directed his focus toward bone marrow transplantation and ultimately defined the course of his career.[6]
Education
Hanna attended al-Amal (Sabro) Elementary School in Qamishli, where he became the first Syrian student in the school's history to receive the "pioneer" award in biology.[2] He received his medical degree from the University of Aleppo Faculty of Medicine in 2001, where he earned the Bassel Distinguished Excellence Award for placing among the top three students in his class in 1996, 1998, and 2000.[1]
In 2004, he moved to the United States to complete a pediatric residency at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, graduating in 2007.[4] He then completed a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Children's Hospital at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, from 2007 to 2010.[4] He is board certified in both Pediatrics and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology.[1]
Career
After completing his fellowship in 2010, Hanna joined Cleveland Clinic as an assistant professor with the goal of building a pediatric bone marrow transplant program from the ground up.[1] He officially established the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant program at Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital in 2011, the first of its kind at the institution.[1] From 2014 to 2017, he served as Director of the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program.[1] In 2017, he was appointed Chairman of the Department of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Bone Marrow Transplantation, the position he continues to hold. [6] In 2019, he was additionally named Co-Director of the Pediatric Cancer Program at Cleveland Clinic.[1]
He has described his decision to join Cleveland Clinic as driven by the challenge of building a new program and the institution's close relationship between its pediatric and adult cancer programs, which allowed him to offer therapies including cellular and immunotherapy treatments, advanced interventional radiology, and access to a broader pool of clinical trial patients.[6]
Research
Hanna's research focuses on gene therapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and the treatment of malignant and non-malignant pediatric blood disorders including sickle cell disease, thalassemia, acute myeloid leukemia, aplastic anemia, and myelodysplastic syndromes.[7] He has been involved in multiple national clinical trials aimed at expanding access to bone marrow transplant and developing next-generation cellular and gene therapies.[1]
RUBY Trial
Hanna is the lead author and presenting investigator of the RUBY Trial (NCT04853576), a multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical study evaluating renizgamglogene autogedtemcel (reni-cel, formerly known as EDIT-301), an experimental CRISPR/Cas12a gene-editing therapy for severe sickle cell disease.[8] The therapy works by editing the HBG1 and HBG2 genes in a patient's own hematopoietic stem cells to increase production of fetal hemoglobin, mimicking a naturally occurring condition known as hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin, which has a protective effect against sickling.[8]
Results from the trial were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Among 28 patients treated, 27 experienced no painful vaso-occlusive crises following treatment, meeting the threshold for what physicians describe as a functional cure.[5] At the 67th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology in December 2025 in Orlando, Florida, Hanna presented updated data from 40 enrolled patients showing that 38 of 40 were pain-free at a median follow-up of approximately 13.5 months.[9] Patient-reported outcomes including pain scores and physical functioning were also found to be near normal.[9] Hanna also presented findings from the RUBY Trial at the 2024 European Hematology Association Hybrid Congress in Madrid, Spain.[10]
Hanna has emphasized that unlike traditional bone marrow transplants, this gene-editing approach eliminates the risk of graft rejection and does not require a matched donor, allowing every patient to serve as their own donor.[11]
Other research areas
Hanna has conducted research on haploidentical bone marrow transplantation, which uses donors who are a 50 percent genetic match to the patient, such as a parent or sibling, to expand access to transplant for patients with conditions like sickle cell disease where fully matched donors are difficult to find.[6] He has also investigated the role of hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells in autoimmune and degenerative disorders, and has explored using bone marrow transplantation to reset the immune system in patients with conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease.[6]
Entrepreneurship
In 2018, Hanna and his brother, Dr. Gabi Hanna, co-founded Lamassu Pharma in partnership with the Mayo Clinic.[2] Rabi serves as Chief Medical Officer of the company while Gabi serves as Chief Executive Officer.[2] Lamassu's focus is on developing novel therapies for diseases with limited treatment options.[2]
The company's two lead investigational drugs are currently in active clinical trials. SAYDI-53 (SA53) is an MDM2 inhibitor targeting the p53 wild-type gene, designed to activate the immune system against cancer. It has received an Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is patented in 69 countries, and is currently in Phase 1/2 trials available to qualified patients at Cleveland Clinic.[2] RABI-767 is a novel anti-lipase therapy for acute pancreatitis currently in Phase 2 trials at eight centers across the United States and Canada, supported by a National Institutes of Health SBIR Phase II grant, and is patented in 59 countries.[2]
Committee memberships and professional affiliations
Hanna is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Pediatric Lymphoma Committee, the body responsible for setting national treatment guidelines for pediatric aggressive lymphoma in the United States.[1] He is also a member of the Childhood Cancer Alliance, the American Society of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the American Society of Bone Marrow Transplant.[1]
Awards and recognition
- Bassel Distinguished Excellence Award, Aleppo University, 1996, 1998, and 2000[1]
- Deborah Kredich Award, Duke University Medical Center, 2006[1]
- Flying Pig Award, Residency Program Director Award, Duke University Medical Center, 2006[1]
- Resident Teaching Award, Duke University Medical Center, 2007[1]
- James A. Stockman III Award, Duke University Medical Center, 2007[1]
- Corkery Fellowship Award, University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 2009[1]
- Best Teacher Award, Cleveland Clinic Children's Resident Graduation, 2014[1]
- U.S. News Top Doctor, Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., 2014 to 2025[1]
Personal life
Hanna is married and has children. Outside of medicine, he has spoken about enjoying basketball, particularly the NCAA March Madness tournament and the Duke Blue Devils, playing chess with his children, cycling, and hiking.[12]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 "Dr. Rabi Hanna, MD - Cleveland, OH - Pediatric Cellular Therapy, Pediatric Hematologic Malignancy". providers.clevelandclinic.org. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 "Dr. Rabi Hanna & Dr. Gabi Hanna". wmas-online.org. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ "Rabi Hanna". Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Dr. Rabi Hanna, MD – Cleveland, OH | Pediatric Hematology & Oncology on Doximity". Doximity. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hanna, Rabi (April 1, 2026). "Gene Editing Therapy Shows Success Against Severe Sickle Cell Disease". Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved April 11, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 "Q&A with Cleveland Clinic Children's New Chair of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ "Rabi Hanna | Videos & Research". VJHemOnc. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Interim Results Revealed in Novel Gene Editing for Patients With Severe Sickle Cell Disease". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 MD, Rabi Hanna; Stansfield, Noah (2026-04-11). "Evaluating Gene Editing Therapy Reni-Cel for Severe Sickle Cell Disease". cgtlive.com. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ Hanna, Rabi (June 14, 2024). "Novel Gene Editing Therapy Continues to Show Positive Results in Sickle Cell Patients". Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved April 11, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Reni-cel Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease". Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
- ↑ "Alumni Spotlight: Rabi Hanna". Duke Department of Pediatrics. 2024-03-01. Retrieved 2026-04-11.
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