# Hussein A. Tawbi

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

## TL;DR

Led RELATIVITY-047, which made relatlimab the first approved LAG-3 inhibitor, and the trial that showed immunotherapy works in melanoma brain metastases.

## Summary

Hussein Tawbi was principal investigator of RELATIVITY-047, which showed nivolumab plus relatlimab improves progression-free survival over nivolumab alone and led to the first approval of a LAG-3-targeted therapy, and of CheckMate 204, which showed nivolumab plus ipilimumab produces durable intracranial responses in melanoma brain metastases, changing their management. He leads brain metastasis research at MD Anderson.

## Fields

- Kind: Person
- Last checked: 2026-09-10
- Tags: melanoma; lag3; brain-metastases
- Role: Professor and Deputy Chair, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center
- Specialisms: Melanoma; Brain metastases; LAG-3 blockade; Immunotherapy combinations

## Sources

- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Tawbi%20HA%5BAuthor%5D%20melanoma%20relatlimab%20OR%20brain

## Connected records

- cancers: [Advanced melanoma (unresectable stage III and stage IV)](https://onco.cc/cancers/advanced-melanoma/), [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/)
- technologies: [Immune checkpoint inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/)
- targets: [LAG-3](https://onco.cc/targets/lag3/), [PD-1](https://onco.cc/targets/pd1/)
- drugs: [Ipilimumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/ipilimumab/), [Nivolumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/nivolumab/), [Relatlimab + nivolumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/relatlimab-nivolumab/)
- institutions: [MD Anderson Cancer Center](https://onco.cc/institutions/md-anderson/)
- trials: [CheckMate 204](https://onco.cc/trials/checkmate-204/), [RELATIVITY-047](https://onco.cc/trials/relativity-047/), [RELATIVITY-098](https://onco.cc/trials/relativity-098/), [SARC028](https://onco.cc/trials/sarc028/)
- key papers: [RELATIVITY-047: relatlimab plus nivolumab, the first LAG-3 checkpoint combination, in untreated advanced melanoma](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-relativity-047-nejm-2022/)

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