Nobel Prize in Medicine Awarded to Scientists Who Developed Breakthrough Cancer Treatment
9:3:57 2018-10-01 900

James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo have been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their discovery of a type of cancer treatment that harnesses a person's own immune system, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet announced this morning (Oct. 1).


"By stimulating the inherent ability of our immune system to attack tumor cells this year’s Nobel Laureates have established an entirely new principle for cancer therapy," the Nobel Prize Foundation said in a statement.


Allison, who is a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, was studying a protein called CTLA-4 that inhibits a person's immune system by putting the brakes on the actions of T cells. He realized that if he could release that "brake," the immune system would wreak havoc on tumors. Allison developed this idea into a new type of cancer treatment.


Meanwhile, Honjo, who is now a professor at Kyoto University in Japan, discovered a similar immune system-braking protein. Called PD-1, this protein, he found, functions as a T-cell brake but via a different mechanism than CTLA-4 uses. Honjo's research led to the clinical development of treating cancer patients by targeting that protein.


Whereas both proteins have proven to be effective targets for treating different types of cancer, PD-1 has shown stronger results for the so-called immune checkpoint therapy, according to the Nobel Prize Foundation. Targeting PD-1 has shown positive results in treating lung cancer, renal cancer, lymphoma and melanoma. And more recently, scientists have found that combining the two targets can be even more effective in cancer treatment, particularly in combating melanoma.


Honjo and Allison will split the Nobel prize amount of 9 million in Swedish krona, or $1.01 million.

By Jeanna Bryner, Live Science

Why Do We Learn?   2025-08-15
Forgive Others   2025-07-23
Reality Of Islam

A Mathematical Approach to the Quran

10:52:33   2024-02-16  

mediation

2:36:46   2023-06-04  

what Allah hates the most

5:1:47   2023-06-01  

allahs fort

11:41:7   2023-05-30  

striving for success

2:35:47   2023-06-04  

Imam Ali Describes the Holy Quran

5:0:38   2023-06-01  

livelihood

11:40:13   2023-05-30  

silence about wisdom

3:36:19   2023-05-29  

MOST VIEWS

Importance of Media

9:3:43   2018-11-05

Illuminations

knowing what to say

6:0:8   2023-03-19

friendship

2:42:26   2023-02-02

hud & his people

7:45:39   2018-06-21

the effect of words

5:58:12   2021-12-18

your actions

2:5:14   2023-01-28

remember who supported you

2:2:13   2022-10-08

education importance

7:26:19   2022-04-08



IMmORTAL Words
LATEST Why Do We Learn? Interpretation of Sura Maryam - Verses 4-5 A Liar, Not Different from a Dead Body Vegetarian Diets Can Slash Cancer Risk by Up to 45%, Large Study Finds Scientists Just Admitted Nobody Really Gets Quantum Physics 18-Year Study Reveals Truth of Where Giant Rogue Waves Come From The Intellectuals Need to Understand the Demands of the Majority Common Understanding of Patience Interpretation of Sura Maryam (Mary) - Verses 1-3 Washing Your Hands Is Even More Important in Summer. Here is Why. The Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks This Week: Here is When to Look Up Scientists Discovered This Amazing Practical Use for Leftover Coffee Grounds