The Pezcoller Foundation – AACR International Award for Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research will be presented to Alberto Mantovani, MD, at the AACR Annual Meeting 2019, to be held March 29-April 3 in Atlanta.

Mantovani is being recognized for his work identifying tumor-associated macrophages as mediators of cancer progression, highlighting the role of inflammation and the immune system in tumorigenesis. His research demonstrating the interplay between inflammation and cancer represents a fundamental paradigm shift in the field and has contributed to the emergence and further development of tumor immunology, which forms the basis of new immunotherapy treatments for cancer. 

“Dr. Mantovani is an eminent physician-scientist who has been a leader in the field of tumor immunology for decades,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. “His pioneering research showed that macrophages in the tumor microenvironment can promote tumor development, establishing a mechanistic relationship between inflammation and cancer, and providing new opportunities for therapeutic targeting. We look forward to honoring Dr. Mantovani with this year’s Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award.”

Mantovani will deliver his award lecture on Sunday, March 31, from 12:15-1 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center in Room A411/412. The Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award, now in its 22nd year, was established in 1997 to annually recognize a scientist who has made a major scientific discovery in basic or translational cancer research. The awardee must be active in cancer research, have a record of recent noteworthy publications, and be conducting ongoing work that holds promise for continued substantive contributions to progress in the field of cancer. Mantovani is professor of experimental medicine and pathophysiology at Humanitas University in Milan, Italy. He has been a member of the AACR since 1981 and serves as senior editor of Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the AACR.