NextImmune Lecture - "Fire and Water are Good Servants but Bad Masters" - Prof Tak W. Mak

Prof. Mak is known for his pioneering work in the genetics of immunology. He has been highly awarded with multiple major international awards including the Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstädter Prize (Germany's top scientific award) and he is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). His research is concentrated on gaining fundamental knowledge of the biology of cells in normal and disease settings with a focus on the regulation of immune responses and tumorigenesis. Prof. Mak's wide ranged discoveries have made enormous contributions to our understanding of disease mechanisms in cancer, arthritis, autoimmunity, heart disease, and HIV/AIDS.

In 1984, he and his group discovered the T-cell receptor, which at that time was claimed to be the “Holy Grail of Immunology”. Apart from that, Prof. Mak is famous for his successful application of reversed genetics and the use of genetically engineered mouse strains to identify genetic susceptibility factors associated with autoimmunity and different types of cancer. His group was also the first to describe the physiological function of CTLA4, which initiated the development of check point blockades as an efficient anti-tumor therapy. His studies on diverse gene functions in normal and mutant cells are continuously yielding information that is crucial for the development of innovate and effective therapeutic approaches.

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