Dr. Ignacio Melero obtains the accreditation as Full Professor of Immunology.
Dr. Ignacio Melero Bermejo, director of the laboratory of Immunology of the research center Applied Medicine (CIMA) of the University of Navarra, has obtained the accreditation as Full Professor of Immunology, granted by the National Agency of assessment of the Quality and accreditation (National Agency for Assessment of Quality and Accreditation).
Dr. Melero is graduate in Medicine at the University of Navarra and did his specialization program in Immunology at the Hospital Universitario de la Princesa (Madrid). He developed his doctoral thesis on the identification and functional characterization of new NK lymphocyte receptors, under the supervision of Professor Miguel López-Botet. Between 1994 and 1998 he worked at the high school of research pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb, in Seattle (USA), together with Dr. Lieping Chen and Dr. Karl E. Hellstrom. One of the results obtained in their area of work was the identification of 4-1BB (CD137) as a target in cancer immunotherapy. At present, trials are being carried out in patients with different types of cancer with antibodies directed to this lymphocyte receptor.
In 1998 he joined the University of Navarra where he has carried out pioneering clinical trials of cellular immunotherapy at the University Clinic. Director of laboratory of Immunology in the area of Gene Therapy and Hepatology of CIMA, he focuses his activity of research on immunotherapy strategies with translational approach based on gene therapy, cell therapy and monoclonal antibodies.