51. Dr. James Allison & Dr. Padmanee Sharma - Winning The Nobel Prize For A Novel Cancer Treatment

Oct 30, 2019

Tricia and I are delighted that Dr. Jim Allison and Dr. Padmanee Sharma are with us today on Health Gig. Both are pioneers in the cancer world. One of them is a Nobel Prize winner and they are married. Their lives are so fascinating that we think there should be a movie about them -- but wait a minute -- there is. In this interview you will learn how to tenaciously stand up for your ideas despite decades of skepticism and resistance within the status quo. By tenaciously pursuing a new path and a bold idea, a totally new form of cancer treatment (found within your own immune system) was discovered by Dr. Allison. By turning off the “off switch” of T cells (the soldier cells which fight disease) your own body can actually get these defense cells to keep fighting remnants of cancer until they are totally gone from the body. Plus these T cells are trained for any recurrence of this type of cancer (similar to the way a vaccine works in your body). In addition to understanding the basis for Dr. Allison’s Nobel Prize and the hopeful future of cancer treatment, you will get the backstory of this hero's journey. We cover stories from the time Dr. Allison’s father was a country doctor getting paid for his house calls in tamales and the initial letter Dr. Sharma drafted to speed up their first scientific collaboration -- all the way up to the couple’s scientific collaborations and happy marriage.

 

More information on Dr. James Allison & Dr. Padmanee Sharma

https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/james_allison.html

https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/padmanee_sharma.html