# James P. Allison

Source: https://onco.cc/people/james-allison/  
OnCo record `james-allison` (Person). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Discovered that blocking CTLA-4 unleashes T cells against cancer, the work behind ipilimumab and the 2018 Nobel Prize.

## Summary

James Allison is Chair of the Department of Immunology and Director of the James P. Allison Institute at MD Anderson Cancer Center. An immunologist specialising in tumour immunology and T-cell biology, his 1990s work showing that CTLA-4 blockade causes tumour rejection in mice led to ipilimumab, the first checkpoint inhibitor, and he shared the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Tasuku Honjo. His papers include the Science report on enhancement of antitumour immunity by CTLA-4 blockade and a Cell review of immune checkpoint targeting and combination strategies with curative potential. He leads the Allison Institute and the immunotherapy platform at MD Anderson, with work spanning CTLA-4, PD-1 and melanoma.

## Fields

- Kind: Person
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Role: Chair, Department of Immunology; Director, James P. Allison Institute, MD Anderson
- Specialisms: Tumour immunology; Immune checkpoint blockade; T-cell biology

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_P._Allison
- MD Anderson faculty: https://faculty.mdanderson.org/search?q=James%20P.%20Allison
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Allison%20JP%5BAuthor%5D
- Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=James%20P.%20Allison

## Connected records

- cancers: [Melanoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/melanoma/)
- technologies: [Immune checkpoint inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/)
- targets: [CTLA-4](https://onco.cc/targets/ctla4/), [PD-1](https://onco.cc/targets/pd1/)
- drugs: [Ipilimumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/ipilimumab/)
- institutions: [MD Anderson Cancer Center](https://onco.cc/institutions/md-anderson/), [Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy](https://onco.cc/institutions/parker-institute/)
- people: [Daniel K. Ludwig](https://onco.cc/people/daniel-ludwig/), [Leon Black](https://onco.cc/people/leon-black/), [Sean Parker](https://onco.cc/people/sean-parker/), [Sharon Belvin](https://onco.cc/people/sharon-belvin/), [Tasuku Honjo](https://onco.cc/people/tasuku-honjo/)
- key papers: [Hodi 2010: ipilimumab, the first checkpoint inhibitor, extends survival in metastatic melanoma](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-hodi-ipilimumab-melanoma-nejm-2010/), [Iwai and Honjo: tumours use PD-L1 to escape T cells, and blocking it restores attack](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-iwai-pdl1-tumour-escape-pnas-2002/), [Leach, Krummel and Allison: releasing the CTLA-4 brake makes mice reject tumours](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-leach-allison-ctla4-blockade-science-1996/)
- terms: [Immune surveillance and cancer immunoediting](https://onco.cc/terms/immune-surveillance-immunoediting/)

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