(ANSA) – TRENTO, MAY 12 – “In the last hundred years, the fight against cancer has been carried out thanks to surgery, radiotherapy and the administration of specific drugs. In the last thirty years we have concentrated on the immune system, the fourth pillar of research. Excellent results have already been achieved for melanoma and tumors of the bladder and kidney, but there is still much to be done. An excellent tool is represented by the T lymphocyte cells that we have managed to isolate”. Thus – informs a note – Tak Wah Mak, the winner of the 2023 Pezcoller-Aacr Award for cancer research, at a press conference. Mak, professor at the University of Toronto and Hong Kong, will receive the award, organized by the Pezcoller Foundation of Trento in collaboration with the Aacr, the world‘s most important cancer research organization, tomorrow 13 May, in a ceremony at the Teatro Sociale in Trento (10 am).
“We have to be like James Bond in the fight against cancer to discover killer cells. We can’t leave out any possibilities. T-cells are ‘soldiers’ that we have to train to kill viral cells and cancer. These are cells that we can define killer cells. It’s not an easy task, and the solution is from Superheroes,” said Mak.
Mak first cloned, in 1984, the gene for the T lymphocyte receptor, a key component of the immune system. The discovery paved the way for all applications of tumor immunology and immunotherapy.
The endowment of the Pezcoller Prize is 75,000 euros. The ceremony, open to the public, will be attended by the president of the foundation, Enzo Galligioni, and the president of the Aacr, Lisa Coussens. (HANDLE).
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