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Researcher receives immunology prize
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James Allison, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s department of immunology, will receive the Novartis Prize for Clinical Immunology.
The prize recognizes Allison for his work in understanding how cancers evade the immune system and developing therapies to help enhance the body’s immune response to cancers.
Allison conducted a study in mice in 1990s that demonstrated CTLA-4, a molecule expressed on T cells, blocks the body’s natural immune response. He developed an antibody against CTLA-4 that inhibits tumor growth in mice, and this evolved into ipilimumab (Yervoy, Bristol-Myers Squibb), a successful treatment for advanced-stage melanoma in humans.
James Allison
“I admire Dr. Allison’s vision, drive and perseverance in testing his immunomodulatory approach in humans, which will positively impact many patients with cancer,” said Dhaval Patel, MD, PhD, head of Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research Europe and global head of autoimmunity, transplantation and immunology. “His discovery has not only given us new tools, but a new way of thinking about fighting cancer.”
Allison will receive the award Aug. 23 at the 15th International Congress of Immunology in Milan, Italy.