“…the recent characterization of new molecular targets in melanoma cells will certainly generate new opportunity for more effective, non-immunological therapeutic interventions.”

Because it is a typical translational research where findings are obtained in the lab and attempts are made to assess their impact on the disease by appropriate clinical trials. We thought that melanoma was a good model to work with in this context.

  What are the circumstances which led you to your work?

I wanted to spend a significant fraction of my time in research to understand more on the biology of cancer as an essential step to cure such a disease. As an M.D., I was particularly surprised by the negative outcome of melanoma patients despite the alleged immunogenicity of this tumor.

  How would you describe the significance of this work for your field?

We contributed to the molecular characterization of T-cell recognized melanoma antigens and to the definition of the T-cell response in patients, two crucial features for planning clinical studies of immunotherapy of melanoma.

  How much has this research advanced since you first started publishing on it?

A lot. Nowadays we know the antigenic profile of melanoma cells, the major features of the immune cell population involved in their recognition (T, NK, NKT), and how are they regulated by other cells and soluble factors (cytokines). This whole picture, while revealing an unsuspected complexity in the activation and regulation of the anti-tumor immune response and the interaction between tumor cells with the microenvironment, allows the designing of new clinical trials of immunotherapy.

  Where do you see this research going 10 years from now?

Immunotherapy (vaccination or adoptive) is likely to become an effective therapeutic option in melanoma, perhaps in combination with other biological therapies. Moreover, the recent characterization of new molecular targets in melanoma cells will certainly generate new opportunity for more effective, non-immunological therapeutic interventions. The many basic studies in melanoma immunology have contributed significantly to understand in more details the molecular pathogenesis of this disease.

Giorgio Parmiani, M.D.
Instituto Nazionale Tumori
Milan, Italy