In this issue, we speak with James P. Allison about his discovery and development of a therapy that unleashes the immune system to fight cancer. We also talk with Stanley N. Cohen about his studies on bacterial plasmids and how his work helped usher in a new era of molecular biology. Lastly, we feature the third and fourth installments of our video interview with Nancy Wexler.

James P. Allison

James P. Allison: Crusading for Cancer Immunotherapy

Allison shares how his early-career fascination with T-cell behavior eventually led to monoclonal antibody therapy for melanoma, a fundamentally new strategy for treating cancer.

Stanley N. Cohen

Stanley N. Cohen: Transforming Molecular Biology

Cohen’s quest to understand how bacteria share genes laid a foundation for recombinant DNA technology and helped expand the biological promise of genetic engineering.

Nancy Wexler

An interview with Nancy Wexler: Chapter 3 & 4

In these third and fourth installments, Wexler discusses potential therapies for Huntington’s disease and how genetic variants may attenuate symptom severity.

Tents in a field

If You Think Preparedness Is Expensive, the Pandemic Puts Things in Perspective

For Scientific American, Lasker President Claire Pomeroy shares five insights about medical research highlighted by the fight against COVID-19.

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