A Scientist who grew up in Alice and got his degrees from U.T. has been awarded the Nobel Prize in medicine.
The Nobel Committee made the announcement today in Stockholm.
The Nobel prize is awarded to James P. Allison, who leads cancer research at the M D Anderson Cancer Center.
An award he wasn’t expecting.
“First of all, I’m still in a state of shock. It’s all sinking in,” Allison said. “It’s really wonderful to awake up this morning, my son called me at 5:30 AM and let me know that I got this prize.”
Allison says he got hooked on science from his 8th grade math teacher in Alice.
Allison gained recognition for his research in cancer in the 90’s, by introducing Yervoy, a drug used to extend the survival of patients with late-stage melanoma or skin cancer.
Allison, who leads the new approaches in fighting cancer by harnessing the body’s immune system to fight the disease, gives praise to his patients who were taking a risk by his experiments
“The patients, especially the early children, put themselves at some risk taking a drug which could potentially unleash the immune system and eliminate cancer, but also possibly do harm,” said Allison.
Allison received a tweet from former Vice President Joe Bidden, who praised his work in cancer research.
Dr. James Allison and Dr. Tasuku Honjo’s immunotherapy discovery uses our own body’s defenses to destroy cancer. Today’s @NobelPrize award is a significant leap toward ending cancer as we know it and paving the path to a cure. Congratulations and thank you.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 1, 2018
Allison will be honored at Nobel Ceremonies in Stockholm in December.
