James Allison Named Leader of Immunology Program

Newswise — James Allison, PhD, has been named the new Chairman of the Immunology Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He succeeds Alan Houghton, MD, who has led the Program since 1995.

Dr. Allison is a leader in the field of immunology, particularly in developing ways to help the immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells. His research is focused on the mechanisms that regulate the immunological responses of T lymphocytes, especially strategies to manipulate those responses in clinically relevant areas including autoimmunity, allergies, vaccinations, and tumor therapy.

"In many ways Jim Allison is the perfect person to lead this Program," said Thomas Kelly, MD, PhD, Director of the Sloan-Kettering Institute, the research arm of MSKCC. "He is an outstanding scientist who has made important fundamental discoveries about how the immune response is regulated. At the same time, he has a deep commitment to applying these discoveries to the development of new cancer treatments."

Dr. Allison comes to MSKCC from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was a Professor in the Division of Immunology and Director of the Cancer Research Laboratory. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and a member of the scientific advisory boards of The Irvington Institute for Immunological Research and the Cancer Research Institute. He earned his PhD in biological sciences from the University of Texas, Austin.

"Over the past five years, there have been incredible strides in the basic science of immunology," said Dr. Allison. "I am looking forward to building a program that stresses outstanding basic research that can be translated to the clinic."

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is the world's oldest and largest institution devoted to prevention, patient care, research, and education in cancer. Our scientists and clinicians generate innovative approaches to better understand, diagnose, and treat cancer. Our specialists are leaders in biomedical research and in translating the latest research to advance the standard of cancer care worldwide.