July 3, 2012, New York, NY—A prominent oncologist in ovarian cancer research and treatment, George Coukos, MD, PhD, joins the Ludwig Center in Lausanne, Switzerland, as the new Director. Coukos is a pioneer in using cutting-edge advances in immunotherapy to help patients living with cancer.
“With George at the helm, the Ludwig Center in Lausanne is in a strong position to help advance the next generation of cancer immunotherapies for patients. George brings significant expertise as a physician, scientist and global leader in the application of immune therapy for ovarian cancer,” said Andrew Simpson, PhD, Scientific Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. “Further, he provides significant contributions to the understanding of the biology of cancer, a strong and committed appreciation for the needs of patients with cancer and superb executive skills,” added Simpson.
Prior to his appointment, Coukos created and directed the Ovarian Cancer Research Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where he conducted research in the development of novel therapies for ovarian cancer and developed tools for early detection. He is best known for his effort and contributions in translational research on understanding the immune system’s response to ovarian cancer.His research findings provide the first evidence that a spontaneous immune response against the tumor dramatically impacts the clinical course of ovarian cancer and is the basis for developing effective immune therapy against this disease. His team elucidated mechanisms of ovarian cancer immune escape, and developed cell-based and molecular vaccine and T cell immunotherapy approaches.
Click here (PDF) to read the news issued by the University of Lausanne and Lausanne University Hospital.