Mikaël Pittet joined Ludwig Lausanne as a full Member in August. Mikaël’s research focuses on myeloid cells, frontline soldiers of the innate immune system that infiltrate tumors and, depending on their functional states, support tumor growth, suppress anti-tumor immunity or target cancer cells. His laboratory employs advanced imaging and the comprehensive profiling of gene expression patterns in individual cells to unravel the subtle but functionally important differences between myeloid cells, such as neutrophils, dendritic cells and macrophages. These studies have exposed previously unknown vulnerabilities in tumors and furnished potential leads for the development of novel immunotherapies. Before moving to Switzerland in 2020, Pittet was a full professor at Harvard Medical School. He currently holds the ISREC Foundation Chair in immuno-oncology and is a professor at the University of Geneva Faculty of Medicine. Pittet completed his graduate research and first postdoctoral fellowship at the original Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute before leaving for the U.S. in 2003. His exploration of myeloid cells and their functional states, captured in more than 150 research publications, has earned him recognition as a leader in the field. Learn more about Mikaël and his work in this profile in our annual report.
This article appeared in the February 2022 issue of Ludwig Link. Click here to download a PDF (1 MB).