Jose R. Conejo-Garcia, MD, PhD, professor in integrative immunobiology at Duke University School of Medicine, has been awarded the Vanguard Award from the American Association of Immunologists (AAI). This award recognizes research achievement and exemplary career success by an underrepresented investigator.
He will be presented with the award at the Immunology25 meeting on May 5, 2025, followed by his lecture, “Biology-guided development of off-the-shelf CAR gamma/delta T cells for solid tumor therapy.”
Conejo-Garcia is a Duke Science and Technology Scholar and a tumor immunologist who is pioneering the use of antibody and cellular therapies for the treatment of epithelial cancers. Discoveries from his laboratory are being translated in active clinical trials using CAR T cells to treat ovarian cancer patients.
Overall, his research focuses on understanding and targeting the mechanisms governing the balance between immunosuppression and protective immunity in the tumor microenvironment (the community of cells and blood vessels that surround a tumor and affect its growth).
"I am deeply honored to receive this recognition,” Conejo-Garcia said. “As a former member of the AAI Minority Affairs Committee, I witnessed its members' dedication to advancing equal opportunity in Immunology. I hope this helps empower students and postdocs from underrepresented backgrounds, showing them that they have the potential to contribute to the advancement of immunological research at levels way beyond my accomplishments."
The Vanguard Award is part of the AAI Career Awards, presented annually to recognize the extraordinary professional achievements and career promise of its members.