Prof. dr. Ton Schumacher, group leader Immunology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute - Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, received an Established Investigator Award from the American Melanoma Research Alliance. Schumacher will invest the grant in his research on a new technology with which cells from the immune system can be selected. He aims to specifically select cells that react to melanoma cells. With this method he can develop selective T-cell therapy for melanoma patients. This new therapy is expected to increase effectiveness of melanoma therapy and potentially reduce toxicity.
The Melanoma Research Alliance, launched in November 2007, is a public charity that supports research on melanoma, a malignant tumour of skin cells. The grant that Schumacher will receive, 200.000 dollar for 2 years, comes from the first grant cycle of the alliance. This cycle aimed at ambitious and innovative projects relevant to pathways governing the behaviour and clinical outcome of melanoma. The Established Investigator Award is meant for outstanding individual scientists whose work shows great promise.