The Center for Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunobiology (CCII) was established in April 2020 as the first-ever Japanese comprehensive research center dedicated to cancer immunotherapy research. Under the leadership of CCII Director Prof. Tasuku Honjo, co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of PD-1, the CCII aims to become a global leader in resolving various issues in cancer immunotherapy through the use of cutting-edge knowledge and technologies.
Cancer immunotherapy using anti-PD-1 antibodies has been an innovative life-saving therapy for many cancer patients whose full recovery was difficult with existing treatments. On the other hand, there are still many issues that need to be addressed. For example, more than 50% of the patients do not respond to cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, the Fund was established for the following two reasons:
(1) To strengthen the CCII’s financial base to address these challenges through long term research, and
(2) To set up a mechanism through which donations can be made easily to directly contribute to cancer immunotherapy research.
The CCII will use the donations for long-term research activities to resolve various issues related to cancer immunotherapy. By resolving these issues, the CCII aims to realize a “full recovery from cancer” which is a long-cherished wish of humankind.