Intensive research into immunotherapy for cancer is being conducted worldwide. Thousands of scientific studies on this topic are published every year. Within just a few years, the Nobel Prize for Medicine has been awarded twice for immuno-oncological research.

In 2018, James Allison and Tasuku Honjo were honored for their discoveries concerning the stimulation of the immune system's ability to attack cancer cells. These discoveries form the basis for the development of so-called checkpoint inhibitors.

In 2011, the prize was awarded for the discovery of dendritic cells and research into Toll-like receptors, which play a central role in the immunological response to therapy with oncolytic viruses such as NDV. This work was groundbreaking for immunological oncology.