Nobel Prize For Medicine Won By Cancer Researchers
Nobel Prize For Medicine Won By Cancer Researchers
While there will be no Nobel prize for literature this year, two Cancer Researchers will get Nobel prize this year. In 2012, there were an estimated 14.1 million cancer cases around the world. Prevention of cancer is one of the most significant public health challenges of the 21st century.
Accepting this challenge, American James Alison and Japanese Tasuku Honjo discovered new approaches in harnessing the immune system to fight cancer.
Their discoveries in the field of medicine gave new hope to the cancer patients in the world. They constituted a landmark in their fight against Cancer. And, to express its gratitude, the world awarded them the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Also Read: 2018 Nobel Literature Prize postponed after #MeToo turmoil
Dr Allison and Dr Honjo proved that different proteins can be used as brakes on the immune system for the treatment of cancer. Both laureates studied proteins that prevent the body and its main immune cells, known as T-cells, from attacking tumour cells effectively.
Dr Allison is a Professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He studied a protein that works as a brake on the immune system. He further tried that protein to unleash the immune cells to attack tumours to release the brake.
On the other hand, Dr Honjo is a Professor at Kyoto University since 1984. He discovered another protein that can be used on immune cells that can be used a brake in a different mechanism. Medicine is the first category of the Nobel Prize that is awarded each year. As the awarding body has been hit by the sexual misconduct scandal, that is why the literature prize will not be handed out this year. -PTC NEWS
