Immunologists James Allison from the United States and Tasuku Honjo from Japan became on Monday the 2018 Nobel Prize medicine laureates for their landmark discovery in cancer therapy.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st October, 2018) Immunologists James Allison from the United States and Tasuku Honjo from Japan became on Monday the 2018 Nobel prize medicine laureates for their landmark discovery in cancer therapy.
"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,'" the press service of the Swedish Academy tweeted.
According to the press service, Allison studied a protein that functions as a brake on the immune system. The scientist developed a new approach for treating cancer patients by releasing the brake and unleashing the immune cells to attack tumors, the academy specified.
Honjo also discovered a protein on immune cells with a different mechanism of action, with therapies based on the discovery to be strikingly effective, the press service said.
"This year's Nobel Prize constitutes a landmark in our fight against cancer. The discovery made by the two Medicine Laureates takes advantage of the immune system's ability to attack cancer cells by releasing the brakes on immune cells," the academy said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe congratulated Honjo on the Nobel Prize win, according to local media.
Earlier in the day, Abe called Honjo and said that he was proud of the scientist, the NHK broadcaster reported. The prime minister told Honjo that his research gave hope to a lot of patients diagnosed with cancer. He added that the Opdivo cancer drug, in the development of which the professor played the leading role, helped save the life of a person close to Abe.
In turn, Honjo mentioned that he faced financial difficulties during his research, but Japan's government funds let him continue his work.
Allison is a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the director of the US Cancer Research Institute Scientific Advisory Council. Honjo is a professor of the Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine at Kyoto University Graduate school of Medicine.
The Nobel Prize announcements will last until October 8.
