Lloyd J. Old

Lloyd John Old (September 23, 1933 – November 28, 2011) was one of the founders and standard-bearers of the field of cancer immunology.

In earlier work, he and his colleagues introduced bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) to tumor immunotherapy; discovered the first link between the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and disease (leukemia); found the unexpected association between Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) and nasopharyngeal carcinoma; discovered Tumor necrosis factors (TNF); defined the concept of cell-surface differentiation antigens with the discovery of TL, Lyt (CD8), and a range of other mouse antigenic systems; discovered p53, independently with two other groups; and identified the tumor immunogenicity of heat shock proteins.

Old served as a member of scientific advisory boards and committees including the Public Health Research Institute of the City of New York, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Association for Cancer Research.

Old died November 28, 2011, at his New York City home, after several years battling advanced prostate cancer.

[1] As director of the international Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research for 17 years, scientific director of the Cancer Research Institute for 40 years, and his previous appointment as associate director of research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for 10 years, Dr. Old guided the scientific vision of several institutions and the training and development of generations of young scientists in many fields.