The identification of programmed cell death protein 1, known as PD-1, stands as the central achievement in the career of Tasuku Honjo. This breakthrough, made in 1992, provided a foundational mechanism for the development of cancer immunotherapy. His work fundamentally altered the approach to treating malignancy by leveraging the body's own immune response to target diseased cells.
Academic Foundations and Early Research
Born in Kyoto in 1942, Tasuku Honjo completed his medical education at Kyoto University in 1966. He went on to receive a Ph.D. in medical chemistry from the same institution in 1975, working under the guidance of Yasutomi Nishizuka and Osamu Hayaishi. His early international experience included a tenure as a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington from 1971 to 1973, followed by a research position at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, between 1973 and 1977.
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Honjo served as an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo between 1974 and 1979 before moving to the University of Osaka, where he held a professorship in the Department of Genetics from 1979 to 1984. His research centered on the genetic basis of immune responses. He established a framework for class switch recombination, verifying the structural DNA changes between 1980 and 1982. Later, in 1986, he successfully performed cDNA cloning for IL-4 and IL-5 cytokines and the IL-2 receptor alpha chain. In 2000, he discovered activation-induced cytidine deaminase, a molecule critical for somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination.
Leadership and Public Engagement
In 2005, Honjo became a professor in the Department of Immunology and Genomic Medicine at Kyoto University. Beyond his laboratory research, he served as the president of the Japanese Society for Immunology from 1999 to 2000 and presided over the Shizuoka Prefecture Public University Corporation from 2012 to 2017. He is a member of the Japan Academy, the National Academy of Sciences, and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. In his public advocacy, he has defended the use of the HPV vaccine, citing the necessity of scientific evidence in formulating public health policies.
Awards and Recognition
Honjo received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2018, sharing the honor with James P. Allison for their work on cancer therapy. His prior recognition includes the Asahi Prize in 1981, the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy in 1996, and the Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences in 2016. He was also awarded the Robert Koch Prize in 2012, the Tang Prize in Biopharmaceutical Science in 2014, and the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize in 2017.
Fast facts
- Born: 1942, Kyoto, Japan
- Education: Kyoto University
- Primary Field: Immunology
- Key Discovery: PD-1 protein identification (1992)
- Nobel Prize: Physiology or Medicine (2018)
- Tang Prize: Biopharmaceutical Science (2014)
- Kyoto Prize: Basic Sciences (2016)
- Academic Membership: Japan Academy, National Academy of Sciences
Questions readers ask
What is Tasuku Honjo best known for?
He is recognized for identifying PD-1 and discovering activation-induced cytidine deaminase, which is essential for immune system function.
Did Tasuku Honjo work in the United States?
Yes, he was a visiting fellow at the Carnegie Institution of Washington and a fellow at the National Institutes of Health.
Achievements
- Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine — 2018
- Kyoto Prize in Basic Sciences — 2016
- Held posts at Hirosaki University, Kyoto University and University of Osaka
- Educated at Kyoto University and Yamaguchi Prefectural Ube High School
- Fields of research: immunology
