Leon Huang,
PhD
Director/ Pfizer
I am a professional immuno-oncologist and a Director, Cancer Immunology Discovery, Pfizer, Inc., and an adjunct associate professor of pharmacology, Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM), Northwestern University. I am experienced in multiple disciplines including cancer immunotherapy, immuno-oncology, cancer cell signaling, antibody fusion proteins, and anti-cancer therapeutics. I am an inventor of tumor-targeting antibodies and IFN (Interferon-alpha) fusion technology that has been licensed to pharmaceutical companies for clinical development. IGN002, a fusion molecule of anti-CD20 antibody and interferon alpha, was in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. At Pfizer, I direct a group of 20 scientists (including 10 Ph.D.) engaged in immuno-oncology discovery research with a focus on tumor immunogenicity, immune cell engager and cytokine therapeutics, and I am experienced in managing extensive collaborations among industry collaborators and industry-academia collaborations. At Northwestern, I participate in teaching and mentoring graduate students and postdocs in immuno-oncology research. I provide insights into rigorous early stage oncology target identification and preclinical validation processes. For the past 6 years, I have played a vital role in the initiation and development of the immuno-oncology research projects in the lab of Dr. Dai Horiuchi, an expert in studying triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). I am excited in this collaboration that we can discover and establish innovative immuno-oncology therapeutic strategies for patients with TNBC.