Interview, December 2018

Interview with Medicine Laureate James P. Allison on 6 December 2018 during the Nobel Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

Read the interview

James P. Allison answers the following questions (the links below lead to clip on YouTube):
00:06 What triggered your interest in researching a new cancer therapy?
01:51 How does it feel to do work that saves lives?
05:22 What is the main impact of your discovery?
08:57 Where does your passion for science come from?
11:27 What kind of a student were you?
13:32 Who has influenced you?
17:09 How did you react to being awarded the Nobel Prize?
18:43 How do you stay focused when people question your research?
19:52 What is your greatest achievement in science?
20:47 Tell us about your passion for music.
23:34 Are there similarities between scientific research and playing music?
24:35 What qualities are necessary to be a successful scientist?
26:45 What do you hope the future holds for cancer research?
28:13 What’s next for you?

Short interview, December 2018

“I hope this Nobel Prize will give people hope”

In this interview from the Nobel Banquet on 10 December 2018, Medicine Laureate James Allison talks about how his research is giving people diagnosed with cancer a new way to treat the disease.

Nobel Minds 2018

The 2018 Nobel Laureates met in Grünewalds Hall at Konserthuset Stockholm on 12 December 2018 for the traditional round-table discussion and TV program ‘Nobel Minds’. The discussion was hosted by the BBC’s Zeinab Badawi. The laureates talked about their research, discoveries and achievements and how these might find a practical application.

Telephone interview, October 2018

“I always consider myself a basic scientist, but not any more I suppose!”

Telephone interview with James P. Allison following the announcement of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 1 October 2018. The interviewer is Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer of Nobel Media.

Interview transcript

James Allison: Hello.

Adam Smith: Hello. This is Adam Smith calling from Nobelprize.org, the website of the Nobel Prize in Stockholm. Is this Professor Allison?

JA: Yes it is. Yes it is. Sorry you guys had so much trouble to get hold of me.

AS: Many, many congratulations on the award of the Nobel Prize.

JA: Oh, well thank you, thank you so much. It’s, as you might imagine, the dream of a lifetime. I don’t know what to say – I’m just stunned.

AS: How did the news actually reach you?

JA: Some reporter called round about 5:30 or so, from Sweden, and then my son called. Saw it on TV!

AS: Your son must be pretty happy too.

JA: Yep. It’s amazing. I’m still in shock. I don’t know what to say.

AS: It’s the first prize awarded specifically for a cancer therapy for many years, and that’s a nice hopeful thing for everybody, that it’s something to reward.

JA: Yes, I think that’s correct, yes. Really hopeful, getting it to work, to try to get everything to work better for patients.

AS: You didn’t actually set out to find a cure for cancer – this was basic research?

JA: No, no, no, I was trying to understand how T cells work. We figured out this one thing about this negative regulator. Had this idea that if we just took that off, you know, maybe it would do a better job of killing cancer cells, and sure enough it works!

AS: Yet again an example of not knowing which way research is going to take you?

JA: Yep, I always consider myself a basic scientist, but not any more I suppose!

AS: I have to say you do sound excited. It’s nice.

JA: Well speechless. It’s kind of sinking in.

AS: Yeah, yeah.

JA: [Inaudible] found out, came to their hotel room. I’m at an immunology conference in New York city.

AS: So people are joining you in your hotel room?

JA: Yes, yes.

AS: You’re assembling a party around you.

JA: Some people heard about it, been showing up, spontaneous celebration going on, a little champagne.

AS: That sounds pretty good. And I have to mention that I’ve actually heard you playing the harmonica at an immunotherapy conference before.

JA: Oh really? With The Checkpoints, yeah.

AS: I do hope you plan to bring your harmonica to Stockholm when you come in December?

JA: I’ll bring it. [Laughs]. I don’t know if I’ll play but I’ll bring it.

AS: I was wondering whether I was brave enough to ask you to play on the telephone now.

JA: Oh I don’t have one with me now, I’m sorry.

AS: I think you should play, you’re good at it if I remember right.

JA: Oh, thank you.

AS: It’s a pleasure to speak to you, and we greatly look forward to welcoming you to Stockholm when you come.

JA: OK, well thank you so much.

AS: Congratulations again.

JA: Thanks, thank you so much.

AS: Bye bye.

JA: Bye bye.

Did you find any typos in this text? We would appreciate your assistance in identifying any errors and to let us know. Thank you for taking the time to report the errors by sending us an e-mail.