The Francisco Cobos Foundation has awarded its XIV award to the scientific degree program to Dr. Ignacio Melero, co-director of the Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy of the Clínica Universidad de Navarra e researcher senior of the Cima.

The Francisco Cobos Foundation is an institution whose goal is to support and promote biomedical research . With this award, which will be awarded in the last quarter of the year in Madrid, the foundation recognizes Dr. Melero for being "an outstanding researcher in the field of cancer immunotherapy. More specifically, Dr. Melero is considered an international reference in the translational and clinical development of combined immunotherapy strategies based on checkpoint inhibitors and other immunotherapy agents".

The jury of the award, endowed with 50,000 euros, was made up of Prof. Emilio Lora-Tamayo, president of the Foundation; Prof. Rosa Menéndez, president of committee Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and professors Andrés Aguilera, Joaquín Arenas, Jesús Ávila, Santiago Duran, Miguel García Guerrero, Vicente Larraga, Teresa Mendizabal, Juan Tamargo and Isidre Vilacosta.

reference letter in cancer immunotherapy

graduate Dr. Melero obtained a degree in Medicine from the University of Navarra and completed the specialization program in Immunology at the Hospital Universitario de la Princesa (Madrid). Between 1994 and 1998 he worked at the high school of research pharmaceutical of the company Bristol Myers Squibb, in Seattle (USA), together with Dr. Lieping Chen and Dr. Karl E. Hellstrom. One of the results obtained in his area of work was the identification of 4-1BB (CD137) as a target in cancer immunotherapy.

In 1998 he joined Cima and Clínica Universidad de Navarra where he leads a translational research team working on cancer immunotherapy strategies based on cell therapy, gene therapy and monoclonal antibodies. Dr. Melero is the researcher principal investigator in more than 30 immunotherapy clinical trials.

In 2018 he was appointed Corresponding Academician of the Royal National Academy of Medicine.