November 29, 2011

In Memoriam - Dr. Lloyd J. Old

We’re sad to announce that Dr. Lloyd J. Old passed away on Monday, November 28, 2011. Dr. Old was internationally recognized as one of the founders and standard-bearers of the field of tumor immunology. From 1988 to 2005, he served as the Director and Chairman of the Board of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR), which encompasses multiple worldwide scientific branches. From 1988 to 2011, he directed his research laboratory at the New York branch of the LICR, which was located at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He also served as the associate director of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) from 1973 through 1983 and held the William E. Snee Chair of cancer immunology at MSKCC since 1983. He was also a founding member of the Cancer Research Institute and served as Director of the Scientific Advisory Council from 1971 to 2011. Dr. Old dedicated his scientific efforts towards a greater understanding of human immune responses that could be harnessed as an effective strategy to treat cancer.

“In each and every one of the six decades since the 1950s, Lloyd Old has made seminal contributions to our understanding of how the immune system interacts with cancer cells,” said James Allison, Ph.D., Chair of the immunology program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who succeeded Dr. Old as Director of the Cancer Research Institute's Scientific Advisory Council on October 1, 2011.

More recently, Dr. Old pioneered the identification and classification of cancer-testis antigens, which are providing researchers with a unique group of molecular markers for therapies that can be selectively targeted to cancer cells and not to healthy cells (except for those in the testis)—a goal that many refer to as “the holy grail” of cancer therapy. “These cancer testis antigens represent, in my view, the best opportunity for immunotherapy targets that can be selective for the cancer and that can avoid toxicity to normal tissues,” said Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., the head of tumor immunology and chief of surgery at the National Cancer Institute.

Dr. Old’s passing is a major loss to all those who were fortunate to work with him over the course of his impressive career, as well as to the scientific community as a whole. We offer our sincere condolences to Dr. Old’s family and friends.