James P. Allison, PhD
Carl June, MD
Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD
THREE SCIENTISTS whose work in immuno-oncology has led to a revolutionary way to treat cancer have been announced as the recipients of the 2018 Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research. The awardees were chosen to receive the 2018 Albany Prize for their research in immunology as well as the translation of their ideas into clinically meaningful therapies for diseases such as metastatic melanoma, lung cancer, and leukemia.
The $500,000 award, which has been given annually since 2001 to those who have altered the course of medical research, is one of the largest prizes in medicine and science in the United States.
James P. Allison, PhD, of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is being awarded for his work in T-cell antigen receptors and the identification of the function of the checkpoint molecule cytotoxic T-lymphocyte–associated protein 4. Dr. Allison was involved in the development of ipilimumab (Yervoy), the first immune checkpoint inhibitor, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of metastatic melanoma in 2011.
Carl June, MD, of the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, maintains a research laboratory that studies various mechanisms of lymphocyte activation that relate to immune tolerance and adoptive immunotherapy for cancer and chronic infection.
Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, is known for his research that resulted in the first effective immunotherapies for patients with advanced cancer. His studies of the adoptive transfer of genetically modified lymphocytes were the first to result in the regression of metastatic cancer, including melanoma. ■
