Dr. Allison on His Early Career at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

James P. Allison, PhD, chair, Immunology, executive director, Immunotherapy Platform, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and a recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, discusses his early career at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Allison completed his first faculty appointment at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He had an early interest in immunology and T cells, which first began to be recognized in the late 1960s, according to Allison. As a biochemist, Allison decided that he wanted to focus his research efforts on T cells were, but he did not receive the chance to until his faculty appointment at MD Anderson, Allison says.

Allison finished his postdoctoral research at an immunology lab, where he did protein purification. When he arrived at MD Anderson, he was able to indulge his curiosity and work out the structure of the T-cell antigen receptor, which propelled him into his subsequent research, Allison concludes.