Exploring the professional networks of Nobel Prize winners

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Since 1901 the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine has been awarded to 216 Laureates. In total, 122 different discoveries have been endowed; 36 of which directly or indirectly related to cancer development and treatment [source: Team Analysis].

We are excited that the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute recognizes the very significant progress that has been made in the area of targeted cancer therapies and awards the 2018 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine to Drs. James P. Allison of the United States and Tasuku Honjo of Japan for “their discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation”.

A sincere congratulations to Drs. Allison and Honjo for this prestigious achievement!

Targeting and individualization in cancer management is occurring at many levels: diagnosis, treatment, and continuous care. This has implications for the commercialization of new and existing therapies, especially including identifying the right physicians relevant to the disease state of the affected patients and understanding them deeply.

MDOutlook offers a range of targeting and profiling offerings mapping the most relevant physicians and HCPs for our customers. To put this to the test, following last week’s Nobel Prize announcement we constructed the professional networks of Drs. Allison and Honjo across different cancers and different domains using our proprietary platform and data, merged with desk research of publicly available information.

This research endeavor was conducted globally and over several domains such as scientific publications, clinical trials, institutions and leadership. Any connection that is shown as an orange circle means that there is collaboration across multiple domains. The thickness of the line connecting 2 physicians indicates the strength of their collaboration (see images below).

Lead data scientist Dag Holmboe and VP of Research, Dr. Robert Stephan led the MDOutlook analysis team to several interesting conclusions:

  • Dr. Allison collaborates across multiple domains, including association and editorial leadership, whereas Dr. Honjo’s network focuses on publications
  • Specific clusters of collaboration appear as additional filters are applied. For instance, by requiring a minimum of 3 collaborations, Dr. Allison shows a strong collaborative network at MD Anderson across multiple cancers (melanoma, gynecological, gastrointestinal) as highlighted by the grey shape. And in onco-immunology, Dr. Allison collaborates across leadership roles such as editorial (Cancer Immunology Research, Oncoimmunology) and associations (AACR) as highlighted by the yellow shape
  • These connections transcend borders and are truly international

MDOutlook’s cloud-based applications offer interactive mapping and real-time updating, providing users with the ability to supplement our research with their own, to pivot and explore meaningful or intriguing collaborations. Through our work, we encourage our clients to dive deeper into the analysis and create competitive advantages with a more profound understanding of the space.

Figure 1. Professional network of Dr. Allison across multiple cancers and domains. Connections with two or more collaborations are shown.

Fig 1. Allison_all connections_2_global_20181006

Figure 2. Professional network of Dr. Honjo across multiple cancers and domains. Connections with two or more collaborations are shown.

Fig 2. Honjo_all connections_2_global_20181006

Figure 3. Professional network of Dr. Allison across multiple cancers and domains. Connections with three or more collaborations are shown.

Fig 3. Allison_highlighted connections_3_global_20181006

For more information on this research and to learn more about how working with us will enhance your decision-making, please connect with us here.