Quotes from Tasuku Honjo

I know there are so many rich people in this country, and yet they don't know how to spend their money.

The government's duty is to support basic sciences.

Certain types of cancer patients are finally being cured thanks to immunotherapy.

In the wake of the pain, economic loss, and unprecedented global suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am greatly saddened that my name and that of Kyoto University have been used to spread false accusations and misinformation.

The FBRI has been endeavouring to build an ecosystem of healthcare innovation, through engaging in R&D, supporting clinical research, providing business support and strengthening the research and business networks within the KBIC.

So for me it's more than happy to see many patients - often I can see them telling me, 'You saved my life.' This is my most enjoyable and, I would say, I'm very pleased to hear what I have done is really meaningful.

To make yourself a good scientist I would say first, you have to have curiosity. If you don't have any curiosity you better choose something else.

Curiosity is the most important.

I'm very honored and pleased to receive the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine.

We encourage many more scientists to join us in our efforts to keep improving cancer immunotherapy. We sincerely hope this treatment will reach far and wide so that everybody on our planet can benefit from this evolutionary gift for healthy life.

I received many prizes of course before the Nobel Prize and this is probably the last prize I get. But I felt when I see the patient and saying they were saved by the therapy we developed, that is the most moving, and also the time I feel my life has some meaning.

Many people tried to find the therapy for cancer, but all failed. And myself, I never expected my research, working on the immune system, would lead to the cancer therapy.

When we first isolated PD-1, we didn't know what the function of this molecule would be. But while we were working on it for almost 10 years, we realized this is a very important molecule to regulate the immune system.

Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death during the last half-century. The trend is getting even worse as the average life span increases.

Reading papers and memorizing them doesn't make you a good researcher.

It would encourage young researchers if we can show that there is a big return for good research.

I'd like to continue researching cancer for a while so that this immunotherapy will help save more cancer patients than ever before.

When I'm thanked by patients who recover, I truly feel the significance of our research.

The concept of cancer immunotherapy was theoretically proposed by the Australian Nobel Laureate Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet over sixty years ago, and since then, a large number of people have tried to apply it, but without success.

Life science is an investment for the future.

The FBRI will continue to carry out fundamental research mainly in fields where new medical treatments or medications are urgently required, such as cancer immunology, ageing and dementia.

We're focused on proposing solutions to problems along the way to realizing a society where people can enjoy good health and longevity.

Cancer immunotherapy is possible because we have a highly sophisticated immune system called 'acquired immunity,' which can catch small changes in tumor cells.

Follow your curiosity, and have the courage to meet the challenge. That's where science starts, in my opinion.