Mark Cobbold

As the Head of Immuno-Oncology, Discovery and the Oncology Cell Therapy Unit at AstraZeneca, I have a unique opportunity to apply my background as an immunologist and physician-scientist to translate science into potentially transformative medicines.

Our Immuno-Oncology Discovery team spans all stages of discovery, from target identification and validation to clinical candidate selection. We are also focused on generating preclinical predictive models to identify patients with a higher likelihood of benefitting from different treatments. Beyond this, we are exploring the possibility of living medicines – cell therapies – to rebuild the body’s own ability to recognise and attack tumours, destroy the cancer cells and achieve cure. 

An immunologist and physician-scientist by training, I specialised in managing patients with immunodeficiencies. My research has focused on translational immunology, which includes cancer immunology and immunotherapy. My early work related to human viral immunity and restoring anti-viral immune responses through cellular immunotherapy. Through my research, I developed a strong interest in tumour neoantigens – believed to play a dominant role in the immune system’s response to cancer – and have contributed to the discovery of a novel class of tumour antigens.