Advances in Immunotherapy
A talk by Drew M. Pardoll, MD, PhD
Dr. Pardoll serves as director of the Cancer Immunology Program in the Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. For the past two decades, Pardoll has studied molecular aspects of immune regulation, particularly related to mechanisms by which cancer cells evade elimination by the immune system. Pardoll made seminal advances in immunology, including the discovery of new types of immune cells and regulatory mechanisms. He was the first to propose blockade of PD-1 for cancer therapy, and his program led the clinical development of the first anti-PD-1 antibody. Pardoll is an internationally recognized authority in cancer immunology and immunotherapy. He is noted for demonstrating the central role of GM-CSF in stimulating dendritic cells in vivo. In addition, he is a co-inventor of cytokine-gene-transduced tumor vaccines. He is an inventor of a number of immunotherapies, including GVAX cancer vaccines and Listeria monocytogenes-based cancer vaccines.
Pardoll has published over 200 papers as well as over 20 book chapters on the subject of T cell immunology and cancer vaccines. Pardoll completed his medical and doctorate degrees, medical residency, and oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins University.