Tasuku Honjo

Tasuku Honjo, M.D., Ph.D., is Distinguished Professor and Deputy Director-General of the Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study (KUIAS) and Director of the Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology at Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, where he also serves as Professor of Immunology and Genomic Medicine. He is President of the Foundation for Biomedical Research and Innovation. Dr. Honjo was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared with James P. Allison, "for their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation." In 1992, while studying programmed cell death at Kyoto University, Honjo discovered PD-1 (programmed cell death-1), a protein expressed on T-cell surfaces. Through years of meticulous research, he demonstrated that PD-1, like CTLA-4, functions as a T-cell brake, operating through a distinct mechanism. In 2000, he confirmed PD-L1 as a PD-1 ligand, and in 2002, his team proved that PD-L1 expression on tumor cells enables immune escape and that PD-L1 blockade could effectively treat tumors. A landmark 2012 clinical study demonstrated clear efficacy of PD-1 blockade across multiple cancer types, with dramatic results including long-term remission and possible cure in metastatic cancer patients. Honjo's discoveries led to FDA approval of nivolumab (Opdivo, 2014) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda, 2014), transforming cancer treatment paradigms and benefiting millions of patients worldwide. Beyond PD-1, Honjo elucidated fundamental mechanisms of antibody diversity. He proposed the class switch recombination (CSR) model in 1978 and identified activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID), revealing basic principles of immunology—work recognized with the 2016 Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences. He has received numerous honors including the 2014 Tang Prize, 2013 Order of Culture (Japan's highest cultural honor), 2012 Robert Koch Prize, and election as Foreign Associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (2001). After serving as President of Shizuoka University (2012-2017), he returned to Kyoto University, continuing to advance cancer immunotherapy and train the next generation of immunologists.

Tasuku Honjo (本庶 佑) 博士是京都大学高等研究院杰出教授和副院长,京都大学医学研究科癌症免疫治疗与免疫生物学中心主任,免疫学与基因组医学系教授。他担任生物医学研究与创新基金会主席。 Honjo博士因"发现负性免疫调节在癌症治疗中的应用"与James P. Allison共同获得2018年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖。1992年在京都大学研究程序性细胞死亡时,Honjo发现了T细胞表面蛋白PD-1 (programmed cell death-1)。经过多年精心研究,他证明PD-1与CTLA-4类似作为T细胞"刹车",但通过不同机制运作。2000年他确认PD-L1是PD-1配体,2002年他的团队证明肿瘤细胞上的PD-L1表达使肿瘤逃避免疫攻击,PD-L1阻断可有效治疗肿瘤。 2012年里程碑临床研究证明PD-1阻断在多种癌症类型中显示明确疗效,结果显著,包括转移性癌症患者的长期缓解甚至可能治愈。Honjo的发现促成nivolumab (Opdivo, 2014) 和pembrolizumab (Keytruda, 2014) 获FDA批准,改变癌症治疗范式,使全球数百万患者受益。 除PD-1外,Honjo阐明了抗体多样性的基本机制。他1978年提出类别转换重组(CSR)模型,识别了活化诱导的胞苷脱氨酶(AID),揭示免疫学基本原理——这项工作获2016年京都奖基础科学奖表彰。他获得众多荣誉,包括2014年Tang Prize、2013年文化勋章(日本最高文化荣誉)、2012年Robert Koch奖,2001年当选美国国家科学院外籍院士。2012-2017年担任静冈大学校长后,他返回京都大学,继续推进癌症免疫治疗研究并培养新一代免疫学家。