Cancer History Project

Jim Allison believed in the power of T cells—when hardly anyone else did
Cancer History ProjectConversation with The Cancer Letter

Jim Allison believed in the power of T cells—when hardly anyone else did

Throughout Jim Allison’s early career, the field of oncology appeared to be unfazed by his T cell research.  Allison’s introduction to the now-famed immune cell came in an undergraduate immunology course, where even the professor was apprehensive about Allison’s fascination with the recently discovered T cells.  “I remember going to see the professor after class […]
Viral oncology’s complicated path—from cancer as contagion to today’s immunotherapy
Cancer History ProjectConversation with The Cancer Letter

Viral oncology’s complicated path—from cancer as contagion to today’s immunotherapy

In the late 1960s, NCI received the modern-day equivalent of billions of dollars to establish a viral oncology program.  At the time, the study of the role viruses played in cancer (or whether they played any role at all) was unknown.  This could have been either a triumph or a huge and embarrassing waste of... […]