Ignacio Melero

Attended Medical School at Navarra University (Pamplona, Spain). He completed a residency in Immunology at the Hospital Universitario de la Princesa (Madrid) and earned a PhD in immunology working on NK receptors.

In 1994 he moved to Seattle (USA) where he worked with Karl E. Helström and Lieping Chen in tumor immunology. His work contributed to define immunological ignorance of tumor antigens and, more importantly, contributed decisively to T cell costimulation via CD137/4-1BB.

These studies served to discover a potent therapeutic approach using immunostimulatory monoclonal antibodies in rodent models of cancer.

In 1998 he returned to Navarra University where he now works at the Clínica Universitaria and at the CIMA research centre. He was appointed full professor of Immunology in 2004 and currently holds this position.

Dr. Melero has extensive experience as a principal investigator in clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy both sponsored by industry and by the University of Navarra institutions.