Scientific Committee

Dr. Maria Libera Ascierto

Dr. M.L. Ascierto is a world-renowned immunologist and virologist with 16 years of work experience in the broad picture of immunotherapy, immunology, and biomarker discovery. Her interests in the field of cancer immunology and immunotherapy started in 2005 while conducting translational research on melanoma patients enrolled at the National Cancer Institute in Naples, Italy. The desire to expand her knowledge brought her to the USA in 2008, where she acquired 9 years of cutting-edge research training from top-tier leading scientists at the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University. In 2017, Dr. ML Ascierto joined AstraZeneca (AZ) to lead the Translational Medicine Strategy of IO clinical trials in early and late phase portfolios. During this time, Dr. Ascierto led preclinical phases to Phase III in the Translational Strategy for the Monalizumab program–an NKG2A blocking antibody able to unleash NK and CD8 cells antitumor activity. She also led a cross-functional research study in a short period of time. Which highlighted the resistance to immunotherapeutic agents in non-small-cell lung cancer patients, that are driven by functional STK11 mutations that led to exhausted innate immunity. In 2021, Dr. ML Ascierto joined Saint John’s Cancer Research Institute to lead the Rosalie and Harold Rae Brown Cancer Immunotherapy Research Program.