Biography
Ana Anderson, PhD, is an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, associate scientist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, associate member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and core faculty member of the Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases. She obtained her bachelor of science degree in microbiology and immunology in 1993 from the University of Miami, where she graduated summa cum laude. She obtained her PhD in immunology from Harvard University in 1999. During her PhD she was awarded a fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Anderson works in the field of cancer immunology, specifically on understanding mechanisms that regulate T cell responses in the tumor microenvironment. Her laboratory identified the co-inhibitory molecule Tim-3 as a key regulator of T cell dysfunction in cancer and has identified gene programs that underlie activated versus dysfunctional T cell states in cancer. Prior to working in the field of cancer immunology, Dr. Anderson worked in the field of autoimmunity. Dr. Anderson has published 47 original papers, 13 reviews and five book chapters. Her work on T cell cross-reactivity in autoimmunity was selected by Nature Immunology as a “Classic Paper in Autoimmunity.” She has also had several papers selected as either “must-read” or “recommended” by the Faculty of 1000. Dr. Anderson is on the editorial board for OncoImmunology, and the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer (JITC). She currently serves on the scientific advisory boards for the Center for Immuno-Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Potenza Therapeutics and Tizona Therapeutics.
SITC Election Platform Statement
What are the two or three critical issues facing the field of cancer immunotherapy?
The two most pressing issues in the field of cancer immunotherapy are: 1) achieving a detailed mechanistic understanding of how current immunotherapies work and why they sometimes fail and 2) developing means to harness the power of the immune system to target “cold” or “non-inflamed” tumors.
What is your vision for SITC?
SITC is a dynamic organization that promotes community building, education, public advocacy, early career development and dissemination of the latest research. I am particularly proud of SITC’s commitment to promote the career development of scientists entering the field of cancer immunology through activities such as the Primer, Grant Writing Workshop and Sparkathon. I would like to see SITC promote more basic cancer immunology research through mechanisms such as Basic Research Fellowships or Pilot Awards designed to provide crucial seed funding to develop new ideas. I would also like to see JITC grow in prominence as a journal in the cancer immunotherapy field.