Nobel Prize in Medicine 2019

“In a few decades they will find an improvement and, eventually, cancer will be completely cured”

Dr. Honjo declares that seeing how patients benefit from his treatment is the most satisfying part of his work

YAGO BARRIUSO VELEIRO & ANDREA IGLESIAS RÍOS | Kyoto - Santiago de Compostela

Tasuku Honjo (Kyoto, 1942) is, together with Dr. James P. Allison, the most recent Medicine Nobel Prize winner for his development of an immunotherapy treatment against cancer. He studied Medicine and received his PhD in Medical Chemistry at Kyoto University. Dr. Honjo has worked in the United States in Washington D.C. and Maryland. In Japan, he has worked at Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto Universities, practising as a professor in the latter. After many emails and some technical problems, we contacted him via Skype from our Biology lab.

QUESTION. First of all, we are teenagers and we are at the age of making decisions about our future. At our age, how do you remember and why did you choose to study Biochemistry and Medicine?

ANSWER. At the age of seventeen or eighteen I was thinking about going to the Medical School. I had many possibilities (to become a lawyer or a diplomat) and among those possibilities I finally chose to make Medicine my profession.

Q. You have been awarded with this year’s Nobel Prize for your immunotherapy treatment against cancer. Can you explain in a simple way how this treatment works?

A. The immune system always watches for something different from ourselves. Cancer cells always mutate (they change genes), because they reproduce so quickly that they make lots of mistakes. This makes cancer cells different from our own cells. The immune cells always watch for something different from our own cells invading. The immune system watches for invaders like virus, bacteria, but also for cancer cells. Unfortunately, the immune system becomes dormant by the long-term stimulation of the cancer cells. These are like the breaks of a car. So the car is caused to stop by their continuous stimulation. Therefore, the PD-1 is another break that I introduce to block the break (the cancer cells) and thus reactivate the immune system. So now, the car (the immune system) can attack the tumor.

Q. The prize you have received is very important. How do you remember the moment you were notified?

A. I remember very well the moment when I got the phone call from the Karolinska Institute. We were talking about the submission of a manuscript with my colleges and, suddenly, I got a telephone call. I was surprised. After that, everything outside myself changed drastically and I received many emails congratulating me. I also received, afterwards, many invitations to give a lecture and I suddenly became very, very bussy. That is still going on, like the request from yourselves.

Q. What effect has this prize had in your career?

A. I am almost at the end of my career [laughs]. For me, there are certainly good aspects and bad aspects. One good aspect is that many people listen to me. The bad aspect is that I became too busy - and I do not want that.

Q. Do you have any daily habit or routine that helps you achieve all your goals?

A. The health is very important. I normally play golf every week to make my body strong, to keep fit.

Q. Your treatment has already saved lots of lives. How do you feel when you realize you are helping so many people?

A. That is more important than prizes. When I see the patients who tell their story, how their lives were saved by the treatment that we developed, I feel most satisfied.

Q. How do you think science is valued in Japan compared to Europe?

A. To be honest, I do not know much about the situation in Europe, but in this country, the economy is not growing as fast as before. When I was studying my career, Japanese economy was starting to grow, so I hit a very lucky moment in my career. Currently, the government support is less and young people are struggling. So I want to change this situation.

Q. You come from a relatively new and different research system. What do you think Spanish and other European researchers can learn from your way of doing science? Is there a particular Japanese approach to science and technology?

A. Again, I do not know the Spanish system, so I cannot compare. The Japanese scientific and academic system was first introduced from the German system, which I think is very similar all over Europe. In that sense, we have a common root. But more recently, the influence from the United States has had a strong impact. We are a mixture.

Q. You have also worked in the United States for some years. What is special about the American scientific system and what did you learn there?

A. The American system has some big advantages. First of all, the government spends enormous amounts of money in life sciences. Also, young people have more freedom in opportunities compared to the Japanese system; and that is a big advantage. Finally, the United States has many foreigners and there is always a mixture and interaction of different cultures. Those are significant differences from the Japanese system we have now.

Q. Technology and science have changed a lot since you started working. What are the main changes you have perceived in your field?

A. Most of the molecular Biology started in the 1970s. That was exactly overlapping the start of my career. So I lived a very fortunate life in my career. In parallel, the new technology starting in DNA sequencing and all this kind of new technology changed the life sciences. I hit the right moment. Now we are hitting the wall for further development in biology. There is so much information, but we still do not understand the whole picture.

Q. A revolutionary feminist wave is taking place all around the globe. How is this movement for the visibility of women in science and technology affecting Japan?

A. That is a global problem. In this country, there is still male dominance and it is very clear. I believe many female scientists that start their career are struggling. I believe that there is still a similar situation all over the world.

Q. You also worked as a University Professor. Which role do you think great scientists should play in society and particularly teaching young researchers?

A. Recently, I do not spend much time in teaching because I am retired, so my current job is mostly for research. But I still teach once a year and I enjoy it. Interacting with young students and stimulating them is always very important for me.

Q. How relevant do you think is making science accessible to everybody, particularly younger people?

A. At the level of information and knowledge, the scientist has a very limited function because what science needs is media who understand science and communicate between scientists and laymen. That part is very important.

Q. We know that we want to study science degrees in college, but many teenagers are not sure about what they want to do. What would you say to encourage them to study a science degree?

A. The biggest advantage of doing science or research is that you do can do whatever you want, but if you go to a company or to other areas you have to listen to your boss. Otherwise you will be fired. In science if you find something interesting you drive yourself, what is most important.

Q. What challenges do you see in the future of scientific research? What can we expect in your field in 25 or 50 years time?

A. Life science is very premature. We understand DNA and its transcription, but we have 10 to 13 cells in our body and each cell has a different character. We have enormous diversity and complexity and whole body regulation is still totally unknown. And the immune system, the nervous system, the cardiovascular system and whole body metabolism are all linked to control our body, but we still have very little knowledge about this. That’s why this is a big challenge for the next generation.

Q. Your therapy is a great hope for every patient. Do you think that it is possible that in the future we can find a cure for cancer?

A. I believe so. This is just the beginning of a long struggle. Many people now are finding a way, so I believe in a few decades they will find an improvement and eventually cancer will be completely cured.