Biography
Dr. Topalian is a physician scientist whose studies of programmed death 1 (PD 1) blockade established immune checkpoint inhibition as a new pillar of oncology. Her work demonstrated durable tumor regressions across multiple malignancies and laid the clinical foundation for todays PD 1PD L1 inhibitors, now approved in more than 20 cancer types. She also co-led the development of the PD-L1 IHC and MSI-high biomarkers. An author of over 180 peer reviewed publications and one of the most highly cited biomedical researchers, she continues to lead trials of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade and biomarker driven treatment combinations. Recognition for her contributions includes Natures 10 (2014), ASCOs David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award (2015), the Taubman Prize (2016), the NCI Rosalind E. Franklin Award (2018), and the AAMC Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences (2021). Dr. Topalian was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017 and to the AACR and SITC Academies in 2022.