CRI’s James Allison, Arming the Immune System

“I’m one of those people who has always wanted to solve puzzles. As a kid, I wanted to be the first to know something that no one else did. I think that’s true of a lot of scientists.”
– James Allison

In the world of immunology, Dr. James P. Allison is something of a rock star. Not only has he made numerous fundamental discoveries about how T cells function, he also inaugurated the approach to cancer immunology known as checkpoint blockade, which is revolutionizing cancer treatment.

Claudia Dreifus of the New York Times sat down with Allison, who since 2011 has been director of CRI’s Scientific Advisory Council, to discuss cancer immunotherapy, growing up a science-loving kid in Texas, and once sharing a stage with Willie Nelson.

Photo copyright 2015, New York Times