James Patrick (Jim) Allison, Ph.D. is a member of the LAVA Therapeutics scientific advisory board. Dr. Allison is an American immunologist and a 2018 Nobel laureate who holds the position of regental professor and chair of immunology, vice president, immuno-biology and executive director of immunotherapy platform at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in Houston. Dr. Allison has spent his career studying the regulation of T cell responses. His work led to the development of an antibody to human CTLA-4 called ipilimumab which became the first immune checkpoint blockade therapy ever approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The approval of ipilimumab cleared the path for the emerging field of immune checkpoint blockade therapy in the treatment of cancer. Currently, his work is focused on improving immune checkpoint blockade therapies and identifying new targets to unleash the immune system and eradicate cancer. Dr. Allison is a member of the National Academies of Science and Medicine and is currently chair of the department of immunology, Olga Keith Weiss Distinguished University Chair for Cancer Research, the executive director of the immunotherapy platform and director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Dr. Allison earned a bachelor of science degree and a doctor of philosophy degree in biological sciences from the University of Texas at Austin.