NPR's David Baron reports that this year's prize goes to Rolf Zinkernagel and Peter Doherty for work they did in the 1970s on the immune system. They showed that the immune cells, called killer T-cells, must simultaneously recognize an invading organism and a set of proteins produced by the body in order to destroy an invader. This work revolutionized thinking about the immune system, and led to new avenues of therapy for diseases.
Copyright 1996 NPR