Mechanistic basis of cancer immunotherapy

Wednesday, April 18, 2018 | 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET

Ira Mellman, Ph.D.

Vice President, Cancer Immunology

Genentech, Inc.

Website

Summary

Dr. Mellman’s laboratory is known for advances in fundamental cell biology, particularly in the area of membrane traffic (including the discovery of endosomes), and applying these insights to understand the cellular basis of the immune response. His laboratory’s pioneering contributions to cancer immunotherapy include elucidating how dendritic cells initiate immunity or maintain immune tolerance, forming the basis for efforts in cancer vaccines. More recently, his group has turned to determining how T-cell signaling is regulated by immune checkpoints, the mechanistic basis of current immunotherapeutics. Dr. Mellman ran all of the oncology research at Genentech until the end of 2013 when he became vice president of Cancer Immunology in order to concentrate on this rapidly developing area of cancer research. His group is responsible for having brought Genentech’s anti-PD-L1 antibody, Tecentriq® (atezolizumab), to the clinic; it is now an approved drug for both bladder and non-small-cell lung cancer.