Dr. Patrick Hwu welcomes Dr. Mario Sznol, professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine and co-director of the Cancer Immunology Program at Yale Cancer Center. Dr. Sznol shares his journey from early work with high-dose interleukin-2 at the NCI to leading pivotal trials in checkpoint blockade and combination immunotherapies. He discusses the science behind cytokines, immune checkpoints, bispecific antibodies, and T-cell therapies, along with strategies for managing immune-related toxicities. Dr. Sznol also reflects on the collaborative, innovative spirit of the field and the next wave of therapies poised to further transform cancer treatment.
What You’ll Learn from Dr. Sznol
- How the earliest trials of interleukin-2 paved the way for modern immunotherapy
- The inside story of developing and combining anti–PD-1 and anti–CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitors
- Why durable cures in metastatic melanoma and kidney cancer were once thought impossible — and how that changed
- How scientists learned to manage immune-related toxicities and make combination immunotherapy safer
- What’s next in the field: bispecific antibodies, T-cell engagers, and engineered cell therapies
- The importance of collaboration, persistence, and even a little fun (“ImmunoTennis”) in advancing science
Access more show notes, links and transcript here: https://www.moffitt.org/about-moffitt/podcasts/immunoverse/cytokines-to-checkpoint-blockade
