The ESMO Award for Immuno-Oncology 2024 is presented to Ton N. Schumacher in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of cancer immunology. Schumacher is Principal Investigator at The Netherlands Cancer Institute and Oncode Institute, and Professor of Immunotechnology at Leiden University, Netherlands.
His laboratory research focuses on the development of novel technologies with which T cell responses can be measured or manipulated, and the subsequent use of these technologies to understand how T cells can recognise and destroy human cancer. Key outputs of his research are his work describing the role of the cancer neoantigens that are formed as a consequence of DNA damage in human cancer immunotherapy and his work providing the first evidence for the superior activity of the, now widely explored, concept of neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade. Schumacher is recipient of, amongst others, the Queen Wilhelmina Cancer Research Award, Meyenburg Cancer Research Award, William B. Coley Award, and Louis Jeantet Prize for Medicine.
Schumacher will deliver his award lecture on Wednesday, 11 December 2024 at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress 2024 Opening session.