Tasuku Honjo

Tasuku Honjo is a Japanese immunologist who discovered programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work enabling cancer immunotherapy.

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PD-1: PD-1 is an inhibitory receptor on immune cells that helps regulate immune responses. Honjo discovered this receptor, the central molecular subject of his Nobel-recognized research.
PD-1/PD-L1 pathway: The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is an inhibitory signaling system that reduces immune-cell activity when the proteins bind. This is the pathway targeted by therapies developed from Honjo’s discovery.
Kyoto University: Kyoto University is a Japanese research university founded in 1897. Honjo studied and later conducted much of his research at this institution.
James P. Allison: James P. Allison is an American immunologist whose work on CTLA-4 blockade helped establish cancer immunotherapy. He shared the 2018 Nobel Prize with Honjo for complementary checkpoint research.
T cell: A T cell is a lymphocyte that recognizes specific targets and coordinates or carries out immune responses. PD-1 regulates T-cell activity, linking Honjo’s discovery to adaptive immunity.
Nivolumab: Nivolumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks PD-1 and is used to treat several cancers. It became the first approved cancer drug to target PD-1.
Tonegawa Susumu: Susumu Tonegawa is a Japanese molecular biologist who received the 1987 Nobel Prize for discovering the genetic basis of antibody diversity. His Nobel-recognized work on immunity provides a parallel in Japanese immunology.
2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine honored James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for discoveries enabling cancer immunotherapy. The award recognized the clinical impact of their distinct checkpoint discoveries.
Immune checkpoint: An immune checkpoint is a regulatory pathway that limits or shapes immune-cell activity. PD-1 is a checkpoint whose inhibition can restore antitumor T-cell responses.
Pembrolizumab: Pembrolizumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks PD-1 to help immune cells attack tumors. It is another major therapy built on the checkpoint Honjo identified.