Dr. Tak Mak, who discovered the structure of the T cell receptor for antigens and paved the way for modern immunotherapy drugs, has been awarded one of the world’s most esteemed scientific prizes
know about cancer cells, has been awarded one of the world’s most prestigious scientific prizes.At age 30, he discovered the structure of the T cell receptor for antigens, sometimes described as the Holy Grail of immunology. That work, decades ago, paved the way for modern immunotherapy drugs such as chimeric antigen receptor T cells , which have cured some patients of certain forms of leukemia and lymphoma.
“Because of the exceptional nature of his discoveries and the continuity of his research, he ranks among the greatest scientists.” His origin story is the stuff of legend. He was born in China but raised in Hong Kong until the family emigrated to the U.S. when he was in his late teens.As a young university student, he took a job cleaning test tubes in a lab for $1 an hour. When the lab’s director said he could earn $1.50 doing research, he jumped at the opportunity and caught the bug.
The American Association for Cancer Research said Dr. Mak had made monumental contributions to the field over the years. “I’m happy that we have, directly or indirectly, been involved in developing drugs that have improved the lives of patients,” he said. “CAR T is a brilliant idea but it’s only the beginning. It doesn’t work for solid tumours so we have to find new and better treatments.”
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