Speaker Profile
Ph.D., Founder, Medici Tx
Biography
Ira Mellman (FAACR, FAIO) began his career at Yale School of Medicine, serving as Sterling Professor of Cell Biology and Immunobiology, Scientific Director of the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center, and member of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. A National Academy of Sciences member, he is renowned for discovering endosomes, their role in antigen presentation, and the function of dendritic cells in immunity and vaccine responses, building on his fellowship with Ralph Steinman at The Rockefeller University.At GenentechRoche, where he spent 17 years as VP of Research Oncology and Cancer Immunology, Ira established the cancer immunotherapy franchise responsible for Tecentriq and Lunsumio. He also led efforts in personalized cancer vaccines (with BioNTech), cellcytokine therapies, and tumor microenvironment research. He introduced the Cancer Immunity Cycle (Mellman et al., Nature 2011, 2023), now a foundational concept in immune-oncology.He has served on the boards of the American Cancer Society and the Society for the Immunotherapy of Cancer, receiving their Lloyd J. Old and Richard Smalley Awards. Ira is currently the co-founder and CSO of Medici Therapeutics, a next-generation immunotherapy company.Aded to jot form
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair: Ira Mellman, Medici Therapeutics
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Jedd D. Wolchok, Weill Cornell Medicine
• Suzanne Topalian, Johns Hopkins
• Levi Garraway, Roche
Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment (TME) in Practice: Biomarkers & Combos
• Chair: Ira Mellman, Medici Therapeutics
• Dmitry Gabrilovich, AstraZeneca
Immunotherapy with Personalized Cancer Vaccines: Who, When, How Fast?
• Chair: Suzanne Topalian, Johns Hopkins
• Tal Zaks, Orbimed
• Lelia Delamarre, Genentech
ADCs in the Checkpoint Era: Who Benefits, What to Combine, What to Avoid
• Chair: Shreya Badhrinarayanan, Pfizer
• S. Peter Kang, Daiichi Sankyo
Strategic IP Management in Cell and Gene Therapy: Navigating Legal and Practical Challenges
• Janet Xiao, Morrison & Foerster LLP
Checkpoint 2.0 in Practice: PD-1+VEGF Wins, Resistance Salvage & Biomarker Gates
• Chair: Jedd D. Wolchok, Weill Cornell Medicine
Future Breakthroughs in Immuno-Oncology: New Targets, Modalities & Biomarker Decision Gates
• Chair: Levi Garraway, Roche
