Lieping Chen

Prof. Lieping Chen at Yale co-discovered B7-H1 (later named PD-L1) and characterized its expression on tumor cells as a mechanism of immune escape from cytotoxic T lymphocytes. His seminal work showing that tumors upregulate PD-L1 to suppress anti-tumor T cell responses provided the scientific basis for developing anti-PD-L1 therapeutic antibodies. He has continued contributing to the functional characterization of B7 family members and their roles in cancer immune evasion.