Physician-scientist named Academy of Immuno-Oncology fellow

Immunotherapy pioneer Dr. Antoni Ribas, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the tumor immunology program at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been inducted into the 2024 Class of Fellows of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

The recognition is one of the highest honors bestowed by the society and is given to scientists who have made seminal contributions in the field of cancer immunotherapy.

Ribas, an internationally renowned physician-scientist, has dedicated his career to improving the lives of people with cancer worldwide. His discoveries have led to the development of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab, marketed under the brand name Keytruda, to treat advanced melanoma. Pembrolizumab was the first of the class of PD-1–blocking antibodies to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), transforming a once fatal disease to one that is often cured. Pembrolizumab has since gained approval for over 25 cancer indications, marking a significant advancement in cancer treatment.

Ribas also played a pivotal role in the FDA approval of several other cancer therapies, including the anti-CTLA-4 tremelimumab, and two combinations of BRAF and MEK inhibitors: vemurafenib and cobimetinib, as well as dabrafenib and trametinib. His ongoing research focuses on identifying novel mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapies and understanding how to identify patients who will and will not respond to them, with the goal of expanding the benefits of treatment to more individuals.

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer and a privilege to join such esteemed colleagues, all of whom are dedicated to advancing impactful immunotherapy research and improving treatments for those facing the most challenging health conditions,” said Ribas.

Ribas, whose contributions to cancer research have earned him numerous national and international awards and grants, is a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Center at UCLA. Additionally, he is a former president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), an elected Fellow of the AACR Academy, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and the National Academy of Medicine.

Ribas, one of six fellows, will be inducted during the society’s 39th Annual Meeting, taking place November 6-10 in Houston.