Ludwig Cancer Research is a global community of leading scientists pursuing innovative ways to prevent and control cancer. From basic research to clinical trials, in individual laboratories or as part of international teams, our researchers are tackling the hardest questions, spotting the connections and the possibilities. At Ludwig, we test our work against the one measure that matters — improving human health. Ludwig Cancer Research is a global community of leading scientists pursuing innovative ways to prevent and control cancer. From basic research to clinical trials, in individual laboratories or as part of international teams, our researchers are tackling the hardest questions, spotting the connections and the possibilities. At Ludwig, we test our work against the one measure that matters — improving human health.

  In addition to directing the Ludwig Center, I am Chairman of the Immunology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. My research is focused on understanding the molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms operating within the immune system, specifically those governing differentiation and function of regulatory T (Treg) cells. I received my PhD in 1986 from the Gabrichevsky Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow. From 1990 to 1992, during my postdoctoral training at Yale University School of Medicine with the late Dr. Charles Janeway, we provided the first description of “self” antigens associated with MHC class II molecules. In 1992 I joined the faculty of the Department of Immunology at the University of Washington, becoming a professor in the Department of Immunology. In Seattle, I led a laboratory investigating antigen presentation and T cell differentiation. I joined MSK in 2008. In 2012 I was named Chairman of the Immunology Program at MSK and Director of the Ludwig Center. In addition, I hold the positions of Tri-Institutional Professor at MSK, the Rockefeller University and Cornell University, and Professor of Sloan Kettering Graduate School and the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University. Achievements In 2012 I was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of my contributions to immunology. I am a member of numerous advisory and editorial boards, including Cell, Immunity, the Cancer Research Institute and the Damon Cancer Research Foundation. I also am an editor of the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Over the years I have written over 150 publications.