Dr. Jim Allison, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, is connected to two UT institutions. He earned two degrees from UT Austin and is now the chair of immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Allison was awarded the prize along with Dr. Tasuku Honjo of Japan for their discovery of how to use the body’s immune system to fight cancer.

Before Dr. Allison’s and Dr. Honjo’s discoveries, cancer treatment consisted of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and hormonal treatments. A statement from the Nobel committee hailed their accomplishments as establishing “an entirely new principle for cancer therapy.”

The newly minted laureates will equally share the prize of 9 million kronor, equivalent to just over $1 million.

For more information, read the Science News article “Discovery of how to prod a patient’s immune system to fight cancer wins a Nobel.”

Photo credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images