Kimmel Cancer Center Names Inaugural Immunotherapy Professorships
Three researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center were appointed as the first recipients of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Professorships in cancer immunology. The new positions grant the scientists “the flexibility to pursue the high-risk multidisciplinary projects that produce paradigm shifts†in cancer treatment strategies, according to Drew Pardoll, MD, PhD, director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
Jonathan Powell, MD, PhD, associate director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and professor of pharmacology and molecular sciences at the Kimmel Cancer Center, was recognized for his work on the signals that promote T-cell differentiation, activation, and function.
Cynthia Sears, MD, associate director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, will focus on the role of the microbiome in the development of cancers and impact on cancer treatment. Dr. Sears also is program leader for microbiome science at the institute and a member of the Kimmel Cancer Center.
Suzanne Topalian, MD, associate director of the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and leader of the melanoma program at the Kimmel Cancer Center, will continue her research on modulating immune checkpoints to treat cancer, as well as identifying biomarkers to predict which patients and tumor types are most likely to respond to various immunotherapies.
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine press release, December 6, 2018.