Antoni Ribas

Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D. is a tenured Professor of Medicine, Surgery, and Molecular & Medical Pharmacology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and serves as Director of the Tumor Immunology Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC). He is an internationally recognized physician-scientist whose clinical and laboratory research focuses on malignant melanoma, gene-engineered T-cell therapy, PD-1 blockade, and BRAF-targeted therapies.

Education & Training

• University of Barcelona, Spain – M.D., 1990
• Vail d’Hebron Hospital, Spain – Residency
• Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain – Ph.D.
• UCLA, Los Angeles, CA – Postdoctoral Fellowship

Research Interests

Ribas leads an NCI-, State of California-, and foundation-supported translational program that develops pre-clinical models of melanoma to test novel therapeutic combinations, elucidates mechanisms of action of immunotherapies in patients, and identifies molecular drivers of treatment resistance. His work spans from in vitro and in vivo studies to first-in-human clinical trials, focusing on gene-engineered T-cells, checkpoint inhibitors (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, ipilimumab), and targeted BRAF/MEK inhibitors.

Clinical Impact & FDA Approvals

His leadership of multi-institutional trials has directly contributed to the FDA approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), vemurafenib (Zelboraf), cobimetinib (Cotellic), dabrafenib (Tafinlar), and trametinib (Mekinist) for melanoma and other cancers.

Scientific Awards & Leadership

• President, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), 2020
• Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
• Member, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

Current Lab & Trainees

The Ribas laboratory at UCLA includes:

• Daniel Karin – Graduate Student (dkarin@mednet.ucla.edu)
• Justin Saco – Graduate Student (jsaco@mednet.ucla.edu)

Grants & Support

Research is continuously funded by the National Cancer Institute, California State grants, and numerous private foundations, enabling robust translational pipelines from bench to bedside.