Ira Mellman, PhD, is President of Research at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI). A pioneering force in cancer immunology, he brings decades of experience translating fundamental discoveries into transformative therapies. At PICI, Dr. Mellman is focused on advancing scientific strategy, amplifying cross-institutional collaboration and accelerating the development of immune-based treatments that change outcomes for patients.
Dr. Mellman joined PICI after more than 15 years at Genentech, where he most recently served as Vice President of Cancer Immunology. There, he led groundbreaking research that helped bring forward Tecentriq® (atezolizumab), anti-TIGIT therapies, and patient-specific neoantigen cancer vaccines as well as multiple other first-in-class immunotherapies. Earlier in his career, he spent two decades at Yale University School of Medicine, where he served as Chair of Cell Biology, Scientific Director of the Yale Cancer Center and Sterling Professor. He is also the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Medici Therapeutics.
A world leader in immuno-oncology and cell biology, Dr. Mellman’s scientific contributions span the discovery of endosomes, the elucidation of how dendritic cells initiate immunity or tolerance and the development of the cancer immunity cycle framework. His work has fundamentally shaped our understanding of immune checkpoint biology and the design of next-generation cancer vaccines.
Dr. Mellman is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the European Molecular Biology Organization. He has served on the editorial boards of Cell, Journal of Experimental Medicine and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cell Biology. His honors include the AACR Lloyd J. Old Award for Cancer Immunology, Yale’s Wilbur Cross Medal and SITC’s Richard Smalley Award.
He holds a PhD in genetics from Yale University and an AB from Oberlin College & Conservatory, and completed postdoctoral work at The Rockefeller University.