Biography
Dr. George Coukos, a leading figure in tumor immunology, serves as the director of the Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the Department of Oncology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. His pioneering work presently focuses on developing precision immunotherapy in cancer treatment, particularly in Tcell therapies. Notably, he's been instrumental in developing personalized immunotherapies, including an autologous dendritic cell vaccine and adoptive Tcell therapy with vaccine primed autologous Tcells for ovarian cancer treatment. Dr. Coukos's research has unveiled the spontaneous antitumor response in ovarian cancer, challenging previous beliefs and expanding its application beyond ovarian to other solid tumors. He also elucidated critical mechanisms governing the interplay between tumors and the immune system, including the role of the tumor vasculature in erecting a barrier to T cell trafficking in tumors. His translational efforts have led to significant clinical advancements, and he continues to lead groundbreaking trials in the field. Dr. Coukos is at the forefront of precision oncology, leveraging advanced technologies like high throughput sequencing to tailor immunotherapies based on molecular and genetic specifics of the tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. His research pursuits of innovative therapies have set new standards in cancer immunotherapy, including the recent development of rational engineering of superior effector T cell states for adoptive therapy.