# Ignacio Melero

Source: https://onco.cc/people/ignacio-melero/  
OnCo record `ignacio-melero` (Person). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Spanish immunologist who pioneered CD137 agonist antibodies and intratumoural immunotherapy.

## Summary

Ignacio Melero showed in 1997 that agonist antibodies to CD137 (4-1BB) eradicate established tumours in mice, founding the field of costimulatory agonist immunotherapy, and has led early-phase trials of CD137 agonists, intratumoural immunostimulants and combination immunotherapy in liver cancer. He co-authored the CheckMate 040 nivolumab studies in hepatocellular carcinoma and leads immunotherapy research at CIMA and Clínica Universidad de Navarra.

## Fields

- Kind: Person
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: immunotherapy; costimulation; spain
- Role: Professor of Immunology, Universidad de Navarra; Senior Consultant, Clínica Universidad de Navarra
- Specialisms: Tumour immunology; Intratumoural immunotherapy; Costimulatory agonists (CD137, OX40); Early-phase immunotherapy

## Sources

- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Melero%20I%5BAuthor%5D%20immunotherapy%20CD137

## Connected records

- cancers: [Hepatocellular carcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/hcc/)
- technologies: [Cytokines & engineered cytokines](https://onco.cc/technologies/cytokine-therapy/), [Immune checkpoint inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/)
- drugs: [Nivolumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/nivolumab/)
- institutions: [Cancer Center Clínica Universidad de Navarra / CIMA](https://onco.cc/institutions/cun-navarra/)
- journals: [Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology](https://onco.cc/journals/nature-reviews-clinical-oncology/)

---
JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/ignacio-melero.json