Photo taken on Oct. 1, 2018 shows a screen displaying the portraits of two awarded scientists James P Allison (L) of U.S. and Tasuku Honjo of Japan for the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine during a press conference at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The Nobel assembly at the Karolinska Institute has decided to award the 2018 physiology or medicine prize jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)
STOCKHOLM, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Two scientists shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the Nobel Committee announced here on Monday.
The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute has decided to award the 2018 physiology or medicine prize jointly to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation."
Thomas Perlmann, secretary-general of the Nobel Committee and the Nobel Assembly, told a press conference that Honjo "sounded extremely pleased" at the news.
This year's laureates showed how different strategies for inhibiting the brakes on the immune system can be used in the treatment of cancer. Their discoveries are a landmark in the fight against cancer, the committee said.
Edward Smith, member of the Nobel Committee, told Xinhua that the significance of this year's award pointed to a "new fashion" in cancer treatment. All previous treatments focused on tumor cells, but this one was focused on the immune system.
This year's prize is 9 million Swedish krona (about 1 million U.S. dollars).
