Cancer Research Institute declares 2019 recipients of top scientific and philanthropic awards

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the discovery and development of powerful immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, has announced the 2019 recipients of its highest scientific and philanthropic awards.

CRI will present the awards to ten honorees at its annual gala taking place Monday, October 7, 2019, at The Rainbow Room in New York City.

2019 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology

The Coley Award is given to one or more scientists for seminal discoveries in the fields of basic immunology and tumor immunology:

In Tumor Immunology

• Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Surgery, and Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California, Los Angeles; Director of the Tumor Immunology Program, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
  - In recognition of his efforts to spearhead the clinical adoption of checkpoint immunotherapy, his complementary research that has defined mechanisms and identified biomarkers of response and acquired resistance to PD-1 blockade therapies, and his development of stem cell-based adoptive cell therapies.

• Elizabeth M. Jaffee, M.D., Deputy Director, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center; Associate Director, Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Johns Hopkins University
  - In recognition of her research focused on novel vaccine approaches that overcome immune tolerance to cancers and her development of both genomic and proteomic methods to identify new pathways and biomarkers associated with the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancers.

In Basic Immunology

• Zelig Eshhar, Ph.D., Professor of Chemical and Cellular Immunology, Weizman Institute of Science
• Lawrence E. Samelson, M.D., Chief, Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH
• Brian Seed, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School; Investigator, Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital
• Arthur Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Engleman Distinguished Professor, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
  - For their collective contributions to identifying and elucidating the role of the T cell antigen receptor zeta chain as a key T cell signaling molecule and its application to CAR T cell therapy.

2019 Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology

The Alt Award recognizes former CRI-Irvington postdoctoral fellows whose research has had a major impact on immunology.

• Shane Crotty, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Vaccine Discovery, La Jolla Institute for Immunology
  - In recognition of his body of scientific research contributing to our understanding of the underlying immunology of vaccines, particularly the development of potent antibody responses and immune memory, and his elucidation of the important role of CD4+ "helper" T cells in these processes.

2019 Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research

The Grace Award recognizes the contributions of exceptionally dedicated individuals or companies whose leadership has had significant impact on medical research, patient care, or public education.

• GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
  - In recognition of GSK's core commitment to immunology and its philosophy of collaborating with companies, academics, and research charities to explore new drugs and accelerate drug development. GSK is also a valuable strategic partner to CRI, providing generous support for CRI's scientific and patient education programs. Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president of oncology R&D at GSK, will accept the award.

• Oliver R. Grace Jr., Chief Executive, Grace Family Office; Member, Cancer Research Institute Board of Trustees
  - In honor of his service and philanthropic support as a member of the CRI Board of Trustees for 27 years and, as son of CRI's Founding Chairman Oliver R. Grace, for his upholding of the Grace Family legacy as pillars of the CRI community.

2019 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research (Honorary)

• Geoffrey O. Coley, International Business Head, MUFG Securities.; Member and Treasurer, Cancer Research Institute Board of Trustees
  - In lieu of a Grace Award, CRI will bestow a namesake honorary Coley Award to the great-grandson of Dr. William Coley, father of CRI's co-founder, Helen Coley Nauts, in recognition of his 21 years of service and commitment to CRI, through which he has carried out the Coley Family's pioneering legacy in tumor immunology, helping to chart CRI's impact in the field.