Lieping Chen

Lieping Chen discovered PD-L1 (B7-H1), the ligand for PD-1 that is now the most important immune checkpoint target in cancer treatment, and was the first to demonstrate that PD-L1 expression on tumor cells enables immune escape by suppressing T cell activity. His discovery that blocking PD-L1 with antibodies can restore T cell anti-tumor responses provided the direct preclinical rationale for developing PD-L1 inhibitors atezolizumab, durvalumab, and avelumab. Chen fought over a decade for recognition of his contributions to PD-L1 as a cancer immune evasion mechanism, and his work together with Honjo and Allison constitutes the scientific foundation of modern cancer immunotherapy.