Two scientists who identified proteins which act as a break on the immune system have been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery, which is the scientific basis for the ‘immune checkpoint’ class of medicines. James P. Allison, who discovered CTLA-4, and Tasuku Honjo, who discovered PD-1, were cited by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet for their landmark work in the global fight against cancer. Both proteins can prevent the immune system from recognising cancer cells.
