Science View
Paving the Way for Revolutionary Cancer Treatments
2018 • E26 Dec 4, 2018 30m
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Dr. Tasuku Honjo, Distinguished Professor at Kyoto University. His research won recognition for the discovery of a substance that suppressed the function of the immune system which contributed to the development of a promising new cancer treatment. It began with the accidental discovery of a protein called PD-1 found on immune cells. Honjo's meticulous research uncovered that it operates as a brake for the immune cells. Cancer cells being attacked bind to PD-1 and signal the immune cells to stop attacking. Honjo contributed to the development of the breakthrough cancer treatment drug Opdivo, by finding a way to protect PD-1 from cancer cells. Find out about Honjo's research of more than 20 years from the discovery of PD-1 to the successful clinical application of Opdivo.