James P. Allison

Is an American immunologist and Nobel laureate who holds the position of professor and chair of immunology and executive director of immunotherapy platform at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

In 2014, he was awarded the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences; in 2018, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Tasuku Honjo.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He is director of the Cancer Research Institute scientific advisory council.

He is on the Research Advisory Board of Candel Therapeutics and Lytix Biopharma.

Allison is stepfather to Thalia Sharma Persaud, Avani Sharma Persaud and Kalyani Sharma Persaud.ntator in the "Cancer" documentary.

Allison married Malinda Bell in 1969.

They have one son, Robert Allison, born in 1990, who is, as of 2018, an architect in New York City.

Allison met Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD through Dr. Lloyd Old in 2004.

Allison and Sharma became collaborators and friends and married 10 years later in 2014.

Allison's mother died of lymphoma when he was 10. His brother died of prostate cancer in 2005.

He plays the harmonica for a blues band of immunologists and oncologists called the Checkpoints. He also plays with a local band called the Checkmates.