Michele De Palma wins 2017 Swiss Cancer League prize
Michele De Palma (credit: own/ EPFL)
Professor Michele De Palma, from EPFL's Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), has won the 2017 Robert Wenner Prize from the Swiss Cancer League.
The Robert Wenner Prize is given annually by the Swiss Cancer League to recognize excellence in cancer research. It includes an award of CHF 100,000 from the legacy of Robert Wenner, a renowned gynecologist in Basel who died in 1970. All cancer-related research work, from any field, including basic, clinical, epidemiological, psychosocial and other research, is eligible for the Prize.
The Swiss Cancer League is a non-profit organization, founded in 1910. It focuses on all aspects of cancer with the aim of ensuring that fewer people develop it and more patients are successfully treated. Headquartered in Bern, the League is organized as a federation and unites 19 cantonal and regional leagues in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, numbering approximately 100 employees.
Professor De Palma directs a lab within ISREC. His work focuses on angiogenesis in cancer and the microenvironment of tumors. Specifically, his lab investigates the interactions between macrophages, the vascular system, and T lymphocytes in tumors, and the mechanisms by which these interactions regulate tumor progression in experimental cancer models. In addition, his research also looks at how the interplay between immune and vascular cells modulates tumor response to anti-angiogenic and immuno-therapies.
The Prize will be awarded on November 30 during an event at Bern, where Professor De Palma will also be giving an honorary lecture on his research.