Research

Research Priorities: Molecular biological causes of antibody diversity, immunological approaches to cancer therapy, checkpoint inhibitors

Tasuku Honjo is a physician who researches the molecular biological mechanisms of immune responses. His work has contributed to the understanding of important processes in the maturation of B-lymphocytes, which produce antibodies. Point mutations and class switching in immunoglobulins, which lead to the subtypes IgA, IgE, and IgG play a central role. Honjo achieved worldwide recognition thanks to his discovery of a mechanism which acts to suppress the immune response. This opens the door to an approach to cancer therapy. For this achievement, Tasuku Honjo was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

In some cancer cells, the immune response is suppressed. Tasuku Honjo was able to identify one of the proteins responsible for this effect, the immunoregulator PD1. By blocking this immunoregulator with specific monoclonal antibodies, so-called checkpoint inhibitors, the immune system is reactivated. On the basis of clinical studies in Japan and the United States, two such monoclonal antibodies were approved as medications in 2014. This triggers an immune response to the tumour tissue by the immune system.

Furthermore, Tasuku Honjo was able to uncover mechanisms, which lead to the maturation of B-lymphocytes.

Career

• since 2005 Professor, Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan
• 2004-2006 Director, Research Center for Science Systems, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan
• 1996-2004 Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan
• 1988-1997 Director, Institute for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan
• 1984-2005 Professor, Department of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan
• 1979-1984 Professor of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
• 1975 Ph.D. in Medical Chemistry, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan
• 1974 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
• 1971-1973 Physician, National Institutes of Health, USA and Fellow, Carnegie Institution, Washington D.C., USA
• 1966 Ph.D. in Medicine, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan
• 1960-1966 Degree in Medicine, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan

Functions

• since 2012 Chairman, Board of Directors, Shizuoka Prefectural University Corporation, Shizuoka, Japan
• since 2006 Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Singapore Immunology Network, Singapore
• 2006-2012 Member, Council for Science and Technology Policy, Cabinet Office, Japan
• 2004-2006 Director, Research Center for Science Systems, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan
• since 2005 Advisor, Takeda Science Foundation, Osaka, Japan
• 1996-2004 Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Kyōto University, Kyōto, Japan
• since 1996 Member, External Advisory Board, Committee for Human Gene Therapy Working Group, European Medicines Agency (EMA), Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• 1992-1995 Member, Fellowship Review Committee, International Human Frontier Science Program, Strasbourg, France

Honours and Memberships

• 2018 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine, Nobel Assembly, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
• 2016 Kyōto Prize, Kyocera K.K., Kyōto, Japan
• 2014 Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science, Taipei, Taiwan
• 2013 Order of Culture, Japan
• 2012 Robert Koch Award, Robert Koch Foundation, Berlin, Germany
• since 2005 Member, Japan Academy, Japan
• 2004 Leading Japanese Scientists in Emerging Research Fronts (Thomson)
• since 2003 Member, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Germany
• since 2001 Foreign Associate, National Academy of Sciences, USA
• 2000 Persons of Cultural Merit, Japan
• 1996 The Imperial Prize and the Japan Academy Prize, Japan
• 1994 Uehara Prize, Taisho Pharmaceutical Holdings, Tokyo, Japan
• 1992 Behring Kitasato Award, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
• 1991-1996 Fogarty Scholar-in-residence, National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
• 1988 Takeda Medical Prize, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Osaka, Japan
• 1985 Erwin von Baelz Prize, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim, Germany
• 1984 Osaka Science Prize, Japanese Genetics Society, Japan
• 1984 Kihara Prize, Japanese Genetics Society, Japan
• 1981 Noguchi Hideyo Memorial Award for Medicine, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Japan
• 1981 Asahi Prize, Asahi Shimbun-sha, Tokyo, Japan