The Research Evangelist

When I heard that Dr. Jim Allison won the Nobel Prize the other day, it hit me that for breakthroughs in medical research to happen, we need to have as many runners in the race as possible. It makes sense right? The more scientists we have in the field researching cancer the better chance we have that one (or more) of those researchers in the lab will hit on an idea that will lead to more advanced studies. And the more new studies undertaken by labs - the more runners in the race - the closer we get to having real breakthrough treatments get to patients. Just like in a marathon - the more runners who train and qualify for the race, the more who are likely to cross the finish line. In fragile X, FRAXA Research Foundation has been putting more runners into the race for many years. In early years there was not much known about fragile X. So FRAXA poured millions of dollars into basic research at labs around the world. The idea was that the more brilliant minds in the laboratory we...

I often write about the need for funding for cancer research. In order for breakthroughs to occur, researchers need to fund their labs to test their theories. Dr. Jim Allison, from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of those researchers whose work over many decades was recognized today with the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for launching an effective new way to attack cancer by treating the immune system rather than the tumor. Dr. Allison started his research career at MD Anderson in 1977. Trust me when I tell you that he was an early pioneer in immunotherapy. When I met Dr. Allison in 2014 he was just starting to get recognition for his important work. So what we take for granted today - that treatments for cancer include unleashing the body's own immune system to fight cancer - started decades ago. This is why we need to consistently fund research over time. We never know when that next breakthrough will occur. This is not just true in ...