Inaki Etxeberria, PhD Parker Scholar Biography As a doctoral student at the University of Navarra in Spain, Inaki Etxeberria integrated his specialization in cancer genetics with immunology, completing his PhD in Immunology under Ignacio Melero, MD, PhD. In his studies, Inaki developed a strategy to enhance the efficacy of adoptive T cell therapy utilizing transient gene engineering with mRNA encoding IL-12 and CD137L, as well as by intratumor administration. This strategy showed pronounced efficacy against injected and non-injected mouse tumors and demonstrated the clinical feasibility of the approach in a xenografted model treated with autologous IL-12-engineered TILs. Inaki was the first to suggest that intratumor release, transient IL-12 engineering and repeated administrations jointly constitute a safe, feasible and powerful cancer immunotherapy strategy. In 2020, Inaki became a postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Christopher Klebanoff, MD, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Focusing on translational research, he studies the determinants of T-cell responses to cancer neoantigens in patients to develop next-generation therapies. He is a 2022 Parker Scholar transitioning from research to clinical translation to bring new cancer immunotherapies to patients. He earned his PhD in Immunology and Tumor Immunology from the University of Navarra in 2020. Education & Training 2020-present: Postdoctoral Fellow, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center 2020: University of Navarra, PhD, Immunology and Tumor Immunology 2015: University of Southern Denmark, MS, Human/Medical Genetics 2013: University of Navarra, BS, Biomedicine Awards & Honors 2022: Parker Scholar 2021: Research Fellowship, Alfonso Martín Escudero Foundation 2020: New Talent Award in Immunology, Francisco de Vitoria University and Merck Foundation 2020: Extraordinary Doctorate Award, University of Navarra 2020: Cum Laude PhD, University of Navarra 2016: FPI PhD Fellowship, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness