# Tak W. Mak

Source: https://onco.cc/people/tak-mak/  
OnCo record `tak-mak` (Person). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Cloned the T-cell receptor and co-discovered CTLA-4's brake function, foundations of modern immunotherapy.

## Summary

Tak W. Mak is a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and University Professor at the University of Toronto. He is an immunologist known for cloning the human T-cell receptor beta chain in 1984 and for generating the CTLA-4 knockout mouse that revealed the molecule's inhibitory role, foundations of modern immunotherapy. His selected paper reports lymphoproliferative disorders with early lethality in mice deficient in Ctla-4. He now studies cancer metabolism and IDH mutations alongside his continuing interest in immune checkpoints.

## Fields

- Kind: Person
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Role: Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; University Professor, University of Toronto
- Specialisms: T-cell receptor; Immunology; Cancer metabolism; IDH

## Sources

- UHN profile: https://www.uhnresearch.ca/researcher/tak-w-mak
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Mak%20TW%5BAuthor%5D

## Connected records

- technologies: [Immune checkpoint inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/)
- targets: [CTLA-4](https://onco.cc/targets/ctla4/), [IDH1 / IDH2](https://onco.cc/targets/idh/)
- institutions: [Princess Margaret Cancer Centre](https://onco.cc/institutions/princess-margaret/)

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