| Citation | In 1984 Tak Mak independently cloned the genes coding for the T-lymphocyte antigen receptor. This molecular characterisation of the T cell antigen receptor represented a major conceptual advance in immunology which has impacted on the comprehension of immune responses, especially with respect to the molecular basis of T cell recognition in "help" and cytotoxicity, as well as to the generation of tolerance and T-cell diversity. More recently, Tak Mak is noted for the generation, through homologous recombination, of a series of mice lacking specific genes which are considered to play crucial roles in immune responses. The latter studies have provided significant, and in some case unexpected, insights into the roles of these specific gene products. |