Jim Allison: Breakthrough is the story of a Nobel Prize-winning immunologist who went from small-town Texas to taking on the medical establishment.
But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. Had you heard of Jim Allison before seeing this film?By Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler and Jeff SpringerWho are the medical or scientific heroes who've had an impact on your own life? Directed by Bill Haney. Renegade Texan scientist Jim Allison devotes his life work to find a cure for cancer after the disease takes the life of his mother. The story of one warmhearted, stubborn man’s visionary quest to find a cure for cancer, Jim Allison: Breakthrough is an homage to an unconventional superhero — a pioneering, harmonica-playing scientist from a small town in Texas who triumphed over a doubtful medical establishment to save innumerable lives around the world and win the Nobel Prize. How does an island 2,500 miles from the mainland get rid of tourist trash?
With the help of narrator Woody Harrelson, director Bill Haney spotlights the perseverance of Allison starting with his days as a young, curious boy growing up in Texas whose life is shattered when he loses his mother to cancer. Premiere: 4/27/2020 | Available until 4/27/2022
With Jim Allison, Sharon Belvin, Eric Benson, Woody Harrelson. His research leads him to the discovery of the T-cell receptor, and its role in fighting cancer. In 2018, Jim Allison won the Nobel Prize for discovering the immune system’s role in defeating cancer, but his long journey to get there was filled with barriers and criticism. Breakthrough is the astounding, true story of one warm-hearted, stubborn man’s visionary quest to find a cure for cancer.
All rights reserved.Be more independent. Breakthrough -- the documentary from filmmakers & scientists that brought an incredible story of cancer research to the big screen. Find a screening near you. Allison’s seminal discovery put him at odds with the entire medical community at the time, as he endured repeated setbacks, personal and professional, from a system not built to encourage breakthrough innovation.
Had you heard of Jim Allison before seeing this film?The story of one warmhearted, stubborn man’s visionary quest to find a cure for cancer, a pioneering, harmonica-playing scientist who triumphed over a doubtful medical establishment to save innumerable lives around the world. It manages to be entertaining and educating at the same time - … The story of one warmhearted, stubborn man’s visionary quest to find a cure for cancer, Jim Allison: Breakthrough is an homage to an unconventional superhero — a pioneering, harmonica-playing scientist from a small town in Texas who triumphed over a doubtful medical establishment to save innumerable lives around the world and win the Nobel Prize.