Debbie Law - Bristol Myers Squibb Featured Researcher

Debbie Law serves as senior vice president and head of Bristol Myers Squibb’s Tumor Microenvironment Thematic Research Center. In this role, Debbie leads a talented team of researchers who explore the complexities of tumors, with a specific focus on the environment the tumor creates. By exploring this complex tumor microenvironment further, Debbie and her team use findings to generate more targeted therapies that may provide therapeutic benefit for patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.  

Through the exploration of the tumor microenvironment, Debbie and her team paint a holistic picture of the tumor. By focusing on multiple cell types within the tumor, including the cancer cells themselves, but also immune and stromal cells, the team can better understand the tumor architecture, as well as its influence on the surrounding cells. In doing so, Debbie and her team can figure out the tactics the tumor uses to evade detection from the body’s immune system, allowing them to then develop potential therapies that can make the tumor targetable.  

“We’re looking for approaches that make the tumor more visible to the host immune system,” she said. “At the end of the day, our goal is to use the patient’s own body to fight back effectively against cancer.”  

Prior to joining Bristol Myers Squibb in 2020, Debbie spent time at life science companies across the Bay Area and Boston/Cambridge area, including Janssen, Merck and Jounce Therapeutics, where she served as CSO. Debbie completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Glasgow and went on to earn her Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in immunology from the University of Oxford.