Dr. Martin E. Hemler is a distinguished cancer immunologist whose pioneering work has significantly advanced our understanding of immune cell regulation in cancer. He served as Professor in the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and as an Associate Member of the Broad Institute, establishing himself as a leading authority in molecular mechanisms of immune response. With a career spanning over three decades at Dana-Farber from 1990 to 2022, Dr. Hemler has maintained a steadfast commitment to unraveling the complex interactions between cancer cells and the immune system. His academic leadership extended beyond his laboratory as he served on the Admissions Committee of the Immunology Graduate Program since 1999 and chaired this committee for a three-year term, demonstrating his dedication to cultivating the next generation of immunologists.
Dr. Hemler's seminal contributions to the field include his groundbreaking research on costimulatory and coinhibitory pathways that directly enabled the development of CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies for cancer treatment, revolutionizing oncology through immunotherapy approaches. His laboratory made fundamental discoveries regarding the role of integrins in immune and tumor cell migration, including the identification and characterization of the integrin family that mediates cellular adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins. His work on graft versus leukemia effects demonstrated how donor immunity can eliminate residual tumor cells following transplantation, while his investigations into graft versus host disease revealed critical roles for both T cells and B cells in this process. These discoveries have provided essential mechanistic insights that have informed clinical approaches to cancer immunotherapy and transplantation medicine, with his research on regulatory T cells in GVHD patients revealing connections between telomerase activity and apoptotic priming.
Beyond his laboratory achievements, Dr. Hemler has profoundly influenced the field through his extensive service on the Immunology Graduate Committee since 2005 and his five-year term on the Executive Committee for the Program in Immunology (2006-2011). His leadership extended to co-chairing the Seminar Committee for four years (2010-2014) and serving on numerous dissertation advisory and thesis defense committees, mentoring countless graduate students through their academic journeys. The significance of his contributions was recognized with the prestigious 2014 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology, which he shared with other luminaries in the field including Dr. Tasuku Honjo. As an Emeritus Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Hemler's legacy continues to shape cancer immunology research, with his foundational discoveries serving as cornerstones for ongoing advancements in immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer treatment.
