Cancer-survivor targeted SurvivorNet TV had added cancer therapy documentary Jim Allison: Breakthrough to its programming mix. The documentary originally aired as a PBS Independent Lens film (PBS trailer is here).
The documentary is about the 2018 Nobel Prize winner’s quest to discover the immune system’s role in defeating cancer, and the lonely battles he waged against the skeptical medical establishment, the streaming service said. It was directed by inventor, entrepreneur and filmmaker Bill Haney with narration by actor Woody Harrelson.
Also read: SurvivorNet TV Goes OTT
“This film dramatically explores the heart of a true American pioneer,” Steve Alperin, founder and CEO of SurvivorNet. “We are thankful to PBS, which made the rare decision to allow us to show the film because of its importance to SurvivorNet's audience of cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.”
Dr. Allison, chair of the Department of Immunology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, for decades has researched ways to harness the immune system to fight cancer. He’s established a key new principle for cancer therapy: figuring out a way to turn off the part of the immune system that prevents the body from fighting cancer. The innovation is called check-point blockade, or check-point inhibitors.
