The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (http://www.esmo.org) has selected Professor Cornelis Melief to receive the 2018 ESMO Immuno-Oncology Award (http://www.esmo.org/Career-Development/Awards/ESMO-Award-for-Immuno-Oncology) in recognition of his life's work in studying the interactions of the immune system with cancer. The distinction will be officially presented to him at the opening keynote and award lecture of this year's ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress in Geneva, Switzerland (13-16 December) (http://www.esmo.org/Conferences/ESMO-Immuno-Oncology-Congress-2018). Professors George Coukos and John Haanen, Scientific Co-Chairs of the upcoming Congress (http://www.esmo.org/Conferences/ESMO-Immuno-Oncology-Congress-2018/Congress-Officers), commented on the reasons for this nomination: "Professor Melief dedicated his career to understanding how the immune system, specifically cytotoxic lymphocytes, interact with cancer, and used this knowledge for the development of new therapeutic cancer vaccine strategies," said Professor Coukos. After studying virally induced cancer in mice, he is currently involved in clinical trials with synthetic vaccines for the treatment of head and neck, as well as cervical cancer, associated with the human papilloma virus (HPV). "With this award we are recognizing him as a true pioneer in the field of cancer immunology, who has trained and inspired a whole generation of young scientists with his research," Professor Haanen added.Login Or Register To Read Full Story