ISA Pharmaceuticals' Chief Scientific Officer Prof. Dr. Melief Awarded Fellowship at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer

July 15, 2022

Oegstgeest, 15 July 2022 – ISA is delighted to announce that our Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and Founder, Professor Dr. Cornelis “Kees” Melief has been nominated and selected by the Board of Directors of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) as a Fellow of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology (FAIO). The fellowship recognises Prof. Melief’s inspiring contributions and dedication to cancer immunotherapy, and will be presented at the SITC’s 37th Annual Meeting in Boston, 8-12 November 2022.

SITC is a professional society of scientists, clinicians, government representatives, and industry leaders from around the world dedicated to improving outcomes for cancer patients by advancing the science and application of immunotherapy. SITC consists of more than 2.400 members, representing 22 medical specialties engaged in the research and treatment of cancer.

The Academy of Immuno-Oncology was established by SITC to honour individuals who have launched the field of cancer immunotherapy into the breakthrough cancer treatment it is today and bring together the brightest minds in the field to continue to advance SITC, the field, and the next generation of immuno-oncologists.

Professor Melief is a globally recognised immunology expert, specialising in cancer immunology and immunotherapy, known for his groundbreaking translational work in devising new cancer therapies that activate the patient’s own immune system.  In addition to his role as Chief Scientific Officer at ISA Pharmaceuticals, he is Emeritus Professor of Immunology at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. He is author of more than 545 peer-reviewed publications, cited over 67.000 times, and inventor on more than 30 patents and patent applications.

Gerben Moolhuizen, Chief Executive Officer of ISA Pharmaceuticals, said: “The Fellowship of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology is one of the society’s most prestigious honours and all of us at ISA Pharmaceuticals are proud that our very own CSO Kees has again been recognised for his longstanding commitment and achievements. His pioneering work has demonstrated the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes for the treatment of cancer.

For ISA Pharmaceuticals, Kees has been instrumental in the advancement of our versatile synthetic long peptide (SLP®) immunotherapy platform and adjuvants, yielding several clinical stage immunotherapeutics for the treatment of different cancer types and infectious diseases. Our lead product ISA101b was recently awarded Fast Track designation by the US FDA for treatment of recurrent and metastatic, human papilloma virus type 16 (HPV16)-positive oropharyngeal cancer (OPC).

ISA continues to advance an exciting pipeline, including SLP immunotherapies that target hepatitis B virus and PRAME-positive cancers and we look forward to another incredible year of growth and innovation as we work to bring novel targeted immunotherapies to patients.”

About SITC

Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word “cure” a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.