T-Cells and Cancer Immunotherapy (Immuno-Oncology):The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to two scientists, James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for discovery of checkpoint molecules CTLA-4 and PD-1, which inhibit the T-cells of the im-mune system from attacking the cancerous tumours. They also discovered antibodies, which could be used for inhibiting the activity of these checkpoint molecules, thus relieving the T-cells from inhibitory activity of checkpoints, to be able to attack cancerous tumours. Such antibodies have already been converted into a number of immunotherapeutic drugs, which have been approved and are already being used for treatment of a variety of cancers.