Gordon J. Freeman

Gordon J. Freeman, PhD is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Senior Scientist in the Department of Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is co-discoverer of PD-L1 and PD-L2, the two ligands for the PD-1 immune checkpoint receptor. Working in close collaboration with Arlene Sharpe and others, Dr. Freeman's laboratory identified and cloned PD-L1 (B7-H1) and PD-L2 (B7-DC) between 1999 and 2001, demonstrating that these B7 family members bind PD-1 to deliver inhibitory signals to T cells and mediate tumor immune escape. His 2000 paper in Journal of Experimental Medicine co-reporting PD-L1 as a PD-1 ligand is among the most highly cited papers in immunology and was co-submitted with the Chen laboratory. Freeman's group has also made extensive contributions to characterizing other B7 family members, understanding how the tumor microenvironment regulates coinhibitory ligand expression, and defining the mechanistic basis for combinations of PD-1 blockade with other IO strategies. He is credited as a co-inventor on foundational PD-L1/PD-1 pathway patents held by Dana-Farber. Dr. Freeman has published more than 280 peer-reviewed papers and has received multiple distinguished awards for his contributions to the checkpoint immunotherapy revolution.