Stockholm: The 2018 Nobel Prize in the field of ‘Physiology or Medicine’ has been jointly awarded to awarded to two immunologist James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery of a new form of cancer therapy.
The Nobel Prize confirmed the news on their official Twitter handle.
“BREAKING NEWS The 2018 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation,” they wrote.
BREAKING NEWS
The 2018 #NobelPrize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo “for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation.” pic.twitter.com/gk69W1ZLNI— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 1, 2018
“Allison and Honjo showed how different strategies for inhibiting the brakes on the immune system can be used in the treatment of cancer,” the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute said, on awarding the prize of 9 million Swedish crowns (€870,000).
The researches of the two scientists focussed on stimulating the ability of the human immune system to attack tumor cells.
According to an official release, American scientist James P. Allison studied a known protein CTLA-4 that functions as a brake on the immune system.
He further realized that the “potential of releasing the brake and thereby unleashing the immune cells to attack tumors. It was then he developed a new concept into a brand new approach for treating patients.”
#NobelPrize laureate James P. Allison was born in 1948 in Alice, Texas, USA.
He is a professor at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas @MDAndersonNews and affiliated with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy @parkericihttps://t.co/JPReP78vKh pic.twitter.com/r2swkj9jKe
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 1, 2018
2018 #NobelPrize laureate James P. Allison studied a protein that functions as a brake on the immune system. He realised the potential of releasing the brake and unleashing our immune cells to attack tumours. He developed this concept into a new approach for treating patients. pic.twitter.com/MWYS3DnD8n
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 1, 2018
On the other hand, Japanese Scientist Tasuku Honjo discovered another protein PD-1, and after careful exploration of its function, he “revealed that it also operates as a brake, but with a different mechanism of action.”
This year’s Medicine Laureate Tasuku Honjo was born in 1942 in Kyoto, Japan.
Since 1984 he has been a professor at Kyoto University @KyotoU_News#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/ah6j3w3Vuf
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 1, 2018
Apart from the aforementioned prize, this year Nobel Prize in physics and chemistry are yet to be announced.
With agencies input