Shimon Sakaguchi (74), a distinguished professor at Osaka University in Japan who was selected this year for the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for research on peripheral immune tolerance, said on the 6th, "The time will surely come before long when we can cure this terrifying disease called cancer."
At a news conference held at Osaka University that day, Sakaguchi said, "I think we could get there in about 20 years," expressing the view above.
Sakaguchi was recognized for discovering regulatory T cells, the core of peripheral immune tolerance. In 1995, in the international journal The Journal of Immunology, he proved that, in addition to the CD4 protein, there is also a protein called CD25 on the surface of T cells that calm the immune system. These T cells are regulatory T cells.
Explaining why he began this research, Sakaguchi said, "I became interested in the fact that the immune system not only protects itself but sometimes attacks itself, and I thought that if I could resolve that question, it would be worth studying."
He went on, "Until now I have conducted basic research, but I also want to pursue work that leads to actual treatment or prevention of disease," adding, "I hope the research will proceed toward clinical application going forward. Even for diseases thought to be quite difficult, a treatment will surely be found."
Sakaguchi emphasized that his research could find a solution to cancer. He explained, "T cells suppress immune responses and at the same time suppress immune responses against cancer cells," and "if we can elicit an immune response like a vaccine even against abnormal cancer cells, it will become a treatment for cancer."