Nobel Prize in Medicine 2018 for the development of new cancer therapies with checkpoint inhibitors

The 2018 Nobel Prize for Medicine awarded to immunologists Allison and Honjo is another milestone in modern cancer therapy, which focuses on the body's self-healing powers. Back in 2011, three immunologists were recognized for their work that revolutionized the understanding of the immune system and opened up new ways to fight cancer: Steinman described how dendritic cells work, Hoffmann and Beutler discovered and described that successful immune defense requires danger signals. Vaccine production and immunotherapy at the IOZK are based on these findings.

At the same time, for the past two years the IOZK has been able to use the drugs for whose basic research the current Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded - they serve to protect tumor-specific immune cells that can attack tumor cells. The so-called check-point inhibitors improve the effects of our therapy at the IOZK, and at the same time we create the conditions for the effective use of these drugs. This is because check-point inhibitor antibody therapies have so far only helped a small proportion of patients, and only those who have already developed an immune reaction against the tumor cells. In certain cases, we can use the check-point inhibitor antibodies so that the tumor-specific activated immune system can successfully destroy the tumor cells.