Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine at UCLA and Director of the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, has received the 2026 ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award.
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) recognized Ribas for his pioneering contributions to cancer immunotherapy and translational cancer research, particularly advances that have transformed the treatment of melanoma and contributed to the development of modern precision oncology.
The ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals whose long-term contributions to oncology research and education have had a significant impact on the field. Ribas will receive the award during the Opening Session of the ESMO Congress 2026, taking place on October 23, 2026, in Madrid, Spain.
Antoni Ribas and the Development of Cancer Immunotherapy
Ribas is internationally recognized for research exploring how cancers respond to and develop resistance to immunotherapy. His work has focused particularly on melanoma and on translating discoveries in tumor immunology into new therapeutic approaches.
His research contributed to the clinical development of pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor. Studies led by Ribas and collaborators demonstrated the activity of PD-1 blockade in advanced melanoma, contributing to the introduction of a treatment strategy that has since become widely used across multiple cancer types.
Ribas has also contributed to the development of targeted treatment approaches involving BRAF and MEK inhibition, including combinations of vemurafenib with cobimetinib and dabrafenib with trametinib, as well as research involving engineered T-cell therapies.
Reflecting on the recognition, Ribas said:
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from ESMO and grateful to the patients, colleagues and trainees who have made these advances possible.”
About Antoni Ribas
Antoni Ribas is Professor of Medicine, Surgery, and Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA. In addition to leading the Tumor Immunology & Immunotherapy Program, he directs the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Center at UCLA.
His research focuses on mechanisms of response and resistance to cancer immunotherapies and targeted therapies, particularly in melanoma, as well as the development of gene-engineered adoptive T-cell therapies.
Ribas is a past President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. He previously received the ESMO Award for Translational Research in 2020, among numerous other honors recognizing his contributions to cancer research and immunotherapy.
Following the announcement, Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), congratulated Ribas on the recognition. Writing on X, she highlighted his contributions to cancer immunotherapy:
“Toni is a world leader in clinical trials that have significantly impacted cancer treatments. We congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.”
The 2026 ESMO Lifetime Achievement Award adds to a career centered on translating advances in tumor immunology into treatments that have changed the management of melanoma and other cancers.
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