WEHI Postgraduate Seminar hosted by the Education Committee
 

Professor Marie-Liesse Labat
Division Head – Personalised Oncology division, WEHI
 

The tumultuous rise of cancer immunotherapy

 

Davis Auditorium
Join via TEAMS
Including Q&A session 

  

Immunotherapy is now a cornerstone of cancer treatment, but its path to clinical success was anything but straightforward. This lecture traces the controversial early history of cancer immunotherapy, from Burnet’s theory of immunological surveillance, through decades of scepticism and scientific dismissal, to the breakthroughs that revolutionised oncology. We will explore the experimental refutations that sidelined the field, the revival of interest through the cancer immunoediting model, and the perseverance of scientists like Jim Allison and Tasuku Honjo, whose work on immune checkpoint blockade defied the mainstream to transform patient care.

All welcome!