Robert Coffman

Robert Coffman is a pioneer in Toll-like receptor agonist development for cancer immunotherapy, having advanced CpG oligonucleotides (TLR9 agonists) as potent cancer vaccine adjuvants that activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells to produce type I interferons and cross-prime anti-tumor CD8+ T cell responses. His work established that different TLR agonists including CpG (TLR9), poly-IC (TLR3), and imiquimod (TLR7) activate distinct dendritic cell subsets and generate qualitatively different anti-tumor immune responses. He has guided the clinical development of SD-101 (CpG-C class) as an intratumoral TLR9 agonist in combination with checkpoint immunotherapy. His comparative studies of TLR agonists have informed rational adjuvant selection for cancer vaccines.