October 1, 2018

Unleashing Immunity against Cancer: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

James P. Allison and and Tasuku Honjo shared the Nobel Prize for their discovery of inhibition of negative immune regulation, the basis of new drugs against cancer.

By Steve Mirsky

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[Allison talking on the phone.]

James P. Allison, who was awarded a Nobel Prize today, along with Tasuku Honjo. Allison was talking to a Nobel Assembly representative on the phone. This is Scientific American’s Science Talk, I’m Steve Mirsky, on October 1st 2018. Thomas Perlmann, Secretary of the Nobel Assembly, made the announcement:

“The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute has today decided to award the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, jointly to James P. Allison and and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery ofcancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.

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“James P. Allison was born in Alice, in Texas, in the United States. He performed his prize-winning studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He is now active at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Tasuku Honjo was born in Kyoto, in Japan. He performed his prize-winning studies at Kyoto University, where he is still active.”

Karolinska Institute immunologist Klas Kärre, a member of the Nobel Committee, then gave a more in-depth explanation of the research behind this year’s prize.

Kärre Segment

Following a brief press conference, Kärre spoke to an unnamed interviewer.

Kärre Interview

We’ll be back tomorrow with coverage of the Nobel Prize in Physics. We leave you with new Nobel laureate James Allison’s harmonica stylings, as he played with the band the Checkmates, at the 2017 meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. The vocalist is Rachel Humphrey, MD.

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