MARCH 26, 2026, NEW YORK – Our congratulations to Ludwig Lausanne’s Ping-Chih Ho, who has been elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election to the fellowship is a high honor that, according to the AAAS, recognizes those whose “efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications, are scientifically or socially distinguished.”
Ho is specifically recognized by the AAAS for his continuing and “distinguished contributions to the field of immune metabolism, particularly in elucidating its role in anti-tumor immunity and advancing cancer therapy.”
A leader in the field of immunometabolism, Ho explores how the molecular byproducts of metabolism mediate a molecular conversation between immune cells and the tissues they patrol and how the many metabolic adaptations of tumors induce dysfunction in immune cells, thwarting immune clearance of cancers. His studies have helped establish fundamental principles of the field. They have also identified many ways in which immunometabolic interactions might be disrupted to devise novel cancer therapies.
A recent report out of his lab, for instance, elucidated how an accumulation of malfunctioning mitochondria—essentially the batteries of cells—induces a rewriting of gene expression programs in the immune system’s T cells that pushes them into a state of “terminal exhaustion” in which they become incapable of killing cancer cells. His team also showed how an existing cancer drug might be used to disrupt that mechanism and prevent the terminal exhaustion of CAR-T cells currently used for personalized cancer immunotherapy.
Another recent study led by Ho identified a specific mode of fat uptake by immune cells within tumors that serves as a metabolic checkpoint against anti-cancer immune responses and developed a candidate antibody drug to undermine this effect. The antibody, PLT012, received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of liver cancer. It is now being evaluated in clinical trials in the U.S. by Pilatus, a biotech startup spun out of Ho’s laboratory in partnership with the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
Ho will be inducted into the AAAS during a ceremony in Washington D.C. on May 29.
Ping-Chih Ho is a member of the Lausanne Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and a full professor at the University of Lausanne.
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About Ludwig Cancer Research
Ludwig Cancer Research is an international collaborative network of acclaimed scientists that has pioneered cancer research and landmark discovery for more than 50 years. Ludwig combines basic science with the translation and clinical evaluation of its discoveries to accelerate the development of new cancer diagnostics, therapies and prevention strategies. Since 1971, Ludwig has invested nearly $3 billion in life-changing science through the not-for-profit Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the six U.S.-based Ludwig Centers. To learn more, visit www.ludwigcancerresearch.org .
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