Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- The two researchers, from the U.S. and Japan, made key discoveries about the immune system’s response to cancer.
- Their work showed how to block cancer cells from crippling white blood cells.
- Still in its early stages, immunotherapy is a promising field in cancer research.
James Allison and Tasuku Honjo have won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their innovative work in developing immunotherapy treatments to fight cancer.
James P. Allison, 70, is the chair of the department of immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and Tasuku Honjo, 76, is a professor at the Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study in Japan. In the 1990s, the two scientists made separate breakthrough discoveries about the immune system that led to the development of immunotherapy drugs. They will share the $1 million prize.
Allison was in New York for an immunology conference when his son called early one morning to tell him the good news. An hour later, Allison and his colleagues were celebrating in a hotel room over champagne.
“It still hasn’t completely dawned on me,” said Allison, at a press conference. “I was a basic scientist. To have my work really impact people is one of the best things I could think about. It’s everybody’s dream.”
Honjo also spoke about the personal satisfaction he gets from seeing his work benefit patients.
“When I’m thanked by patients who recover, I truly feel the significance of our research,” Honjo said during a news conference at the Japanese university, according to Japanese news reports.
He added: “I’d like to continue researching cancer for a while so that this immunotherapy…The post 2018 Nobel Prize awarded to cancer immunotherapy pioneers appeared first on FeedBox.