James P. Allison facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
James Allison
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Allison in 2018
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| Born |
James Patrick Allison
August 7, 1948 Alice, Texas, U.S.
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| Education | University of Texas, Austin (BS, MS, PhD) |
| Known for | Cancer immunotherapy |
| Spouse(s) |
Malinda Bell
(m. 1969; div. 2012)Padmanee Sharma
(m. 2014) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2014) Massry Prize (2014) Tang Prize (2014) Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (2014) Harvey Prize (2014) Gairdner Foundation International Award (2014) Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize (2015) Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award (2015) Wolf Prize (2017) Warren Alpert Foundation Prize(2017) Balzan Prize (2017) Sjöberg Prize (2017) King Faisal International Prize (2018) Albany Medical Center Prize (2018) Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research (2018) Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2018) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Immunology |
| Institutions | M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Weill Cornell Medicine University of California, Berkeley University of California, San Francisco University of Texas at Austin |
| Thesis | Studies on bacterial asparaginases: I. Isolation and characterization of a tumor inhibitory asparaginase from Alcaligenes ?Eutrophus. II. Insolubilization of L-Asparaginase by covalent attachment to nylon tubing (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Barrie Kitto |
James Patrick Allison, born on August 7, 1948, is an American immunologist. An immunologist is a scientist who studies the immune system, which is your body's defense against sickness. He is also a Nobel laureate, meaning he won a Nobel Prize for his important work.
He works as a professor and director at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. His amazing discoveries have led to new ways to treat some of the most dangerous cancers. He is known for finding a key part of the T-cell (a type of immune cell) and for developing new treatments called cancer immunotherapy.
In 2018, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with another scientist, Tasuku Honjo. This award recognized their groundbreaking work in fighting cancer.
Contents
Early Life and Education
James Allison was born in Alice, Texas. He was the youngest of three brothers. When he was in eighth grade, his math teacher inspired him to become a scientist. He even spent a summer in a science program at the University of Texas at Austin.
He earned his first degree in microbiology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1969. Microbiology is the study of tiny living things like bacteria and viruses. He then earned his PhD in biological science from the same university in 1973.
His Amazing Career
After finishing his studies, Allison worked as a researcher at different places. From 1974 to 1977, he was at Scripps Research Institute in California. He then worked at the MD Anderson Cancer Center until 1984.
In 1985, he became a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He also taught at the University of California, San Francisco starting in 1997. In 2004, he moved to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. There, he led programs focused on cancer immunology.
Since 2012, he has been the chair of immunology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also a member of important science groups like the National Academy of Sciences.
How His Research Helps Fight Cancer
James Allison's research has changed how we treat cancer. He studied how the immune system works, especially how it tells the difference between healthy cells and invaders.
In 1977, he found that the immune system sometimes doesn't attack cancer cells. This happens because cancer cells can use certain proteins to "turn off" the immune response. Finding these "off switches" was a big step.
In 1982, he made another important discovery: the T-cell receptor. This is like an antenna on T-cells that helps them recognize threats.
In the 1990s, Allison discovered that a molecule called CTLA-4 acts as a brake on T-cells. It stops them from attacking. In 1996, he showed that if you block this CTLA-4 brake with a special antibody, T-cells can then attack tumors more strongly.
This idea of "unleashing" the immune system by blocking its brakes led to new medicines. These are called "immune checkpoint therapies". One of these medicines, ipilimumab, was approved in 2011 to treat a serious skin cancer called metastatic melanoma.
Allison continues to study how the immune system fights cancer. He wants to understand why some patients respond well to these new treatments and others don't.
Awards and Recognition
James Allison has received many top science awards for his work. He won the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences in 2014.
In 2018, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. This was for his discovery of cancer therapy that works by stopping the immune system's "brakes."
He is also the subject of a 2019 documentary film called "Jim Allison: Breakthrough."
Life Outside of Science
James Allison married Malinda Bell in 1969, and they had one son. They later divorced. In 2014, he married Padmanee Sharma, who is also a scientist. He is a stepfather to her three children.
His own family's experience with cancer motivated him. His mother died of lymphoma when he was 10, and his brother died of prostate cancer in 2005.
Outside of his lab, James Allison enjoys playing music. He plays the harmonica in a blues band. The band is made up of other scientists and doctors who study the immune system and cancer. They call themselves "The Checkpoints," which is a clever name related to his cancer research!
See also
In Spanish: James P. Allison para niños
