Dr. Allison's major contributions lie in his discovery of the role of the protein CTLA-4 in regulating immune responses. In his research, he discovered that CTLA-4 acts as an "off switch" for T-cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a critical role in the immune system. By blocking CTLA-4, Dr. Allison's work demonstrated that T-cells could be unleashed to attack cancer cells more effectively. This discovery paved the way for the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors, a revolutionary class of cancer therapy.
