Two scientists who discovered how to harness the body’s immune system to fight cancer won the 2018 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine. James Allison, of the US, and Tasuku Honjo, of Japan, shared the 9m Swedish kronor ($1m/¥113m) prize.
The scientists’ groundbreaking work on the immune system has paved the way for a new class of cancer drugs that are already dramatically changing outcomes for patients. It is the first time the development of a cancer therapy has been recognised with a Nobel prize.
Allison said he was in a “state of shock” about having achieved “every scientist’s dream”. “I’d like to give a shout out to all the [cancer] patients out there to let them know we’re making progress here,” he said.
Honjo, who began his research after a medical school classmate died from stomach cancer, said: “I want to continue my research...so that this immune therapy will save more cancer patients than ever.”
The idea of mobilising the immune system to tackle cancer was first proposed more than a century ago, but it was only after the discoveries of Allison and Honjo that this tantalising possibility could be turned into a clinical treatment.
