Honoring Scientific Achievement

Piet Borst, MD, PhD

Netherlands Cancer Institute
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

For paramount advancements to molecular biology and parasitology, including uncovering the mechanisms of surface protein gene relocation in parasites, characterizing telomere expansion, elucidating P-glycoprotein's role in drug resistance, and pioneering gel electrophoresis as a foundational tool in genetic research.

Garrett M. Brodeur, MD

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

For invaluable contributions to neuroblastoma research, such as identifying MYCN amplification as a marker of high-risk disease; leading efforts to develop the first International Neuroblastoma Staging System and Risk Grouping that incorporates molecular markers and preclinical development of TRK inhibitors for pediatric solid tumors; organizing pioneering international workshops on pediatric cancer predisposition and surveillance; and developing a novel multivalent nanomedicine (PEEL-24) that is more effective and less toxic than its conventional counterpart, irinotecan.

Pelayo Correa, MD

Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee

For illustrious work defining the histological stages of gastric carcinogenesis through the “Correa Cascade” and establishing the link between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer, fundamentally advancing the understanding of the pathology, epidemiology, and prevention of this disease.

Frederic J. de Sauvage, PhD

Genentech, Inc.
South San Francisco, California

For unrivaled investigations leading to the understanding of oncogenic pathways, including the Hedgehog and Wnt signaling pathways, and for spearheading drug development, including vismodegib, the first Hedgehog pathway inhibitor approved for the treatment of advanced basal cell carcinoma.

Caroline Dive, PhD

Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute
Manchester, United Kingdom

For celebrated research in small cell lung cancer, including the development of circulating tumor cell-derived explant models that have advanced the understanding of tumor biology, thereby accelerating biomarker discovery and reducing the need for invasive biopsies, and for transformative studies involving the use of liquid biopsies to monitor tumor evolution.

Susan M. Domchek, MD

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

For revered contributions to BRCA1/2 cancer susceptibility research, including demonstrating the impact of genetic testing on risk assessment, prevention, and targeted therapies, and for groundbreaking work in developing PARP inhibitors and risk-reducing strategies that have transformed clinical care and outcomes for mutation carriers.

David E. Fisher, MD, PhD

Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

For trailblazing research in melanoma and ultraviolet (UV)-related carcinogenesis, including the discovery of UV pigmentation pathways, endorphin-mediated addiction to UV radiation and the development of a melanoma diagnostic test and novel treatment for giant nevi that have significantly advanced the understanding of melanoma cell survival and evasion mechanisms.

Stephan A. Grupp, MD, PhD

University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

For exemplary research efforts leading to the development of chimeric antigen receptor-modified T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy in pediatric patients, thereby revolutionizing personalized cancer treatment and leading to the FDA approval of tisagenlecleucel for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the first CART-cell and gene therapy approved for use in patients.

Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD

Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York

For vital contributions to pancreas cancer research, including the development of patient-derived xenograft models and new treatments such as nab-paclitaxel, and for instrumental efforts in pioneering innovative clinical trial designs and advancing the clinical development of more than 30 new anticancer agents.

Susan G. Hilsenbeck, PhD

Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

For critical research in cancer biostatistics, including identifying prognostic and predictive biomarkers, elucidating tumor resistance mechanisms to chemotherapy, and discovering novel subtypes and targets of triple-negative breast cancer, while enhancing the overall scientific rigor of a wide array of clinical investigations.

Elaine S. Jaffe, MD

National Cancer Institute
Bethesda, Maryland

For unrivaled research efforts in hematopathology, including revolutionizing the classification of lymphoid neoplasms through the development of the World Health Organization-endorsed REAL (Revised European American Lymphoma) classification, and for defining novel disease entities that have transformed diagnostic standards and patient care in lymphoma and leukemia.

John Kuriyan, PhD

Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

For heralded contributions to cell signaling and kinase biology, including the elucidation of the switching mechanisms of tyrosine kinases such as SRC and EGFR, which has advanced the fundamental understanding of signal transduction regulation and informed the development of kinase-targeted therapies for cancer and other malignancies.

A. Thomas Look, MD

Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
Boston, Massachusetts

For revolutionary discoveries pertaining to the molecular pathogenesis of leukemia, lymphoma, and neuroblastoma, including identifying novel oncogenes such E2A-HLF and NPM-ALK; for elucidating oncogene-driven signaling pathways; and for developing transgenic zebrafish models to identify new molecular targets for childhood cancers.

Ari M. Melnick, MD

Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, New York

For pivotal research demonstrating that transcription factors are druggable targets, characterizing epigenetic landscapes in cancer, identifying novel disease mechanisms such as IDH mutation-induced epigenetic events, and defining novel epigenetic mechanisms responsible for disrupting the immune system and promoting malignant transformation.

Paul S. Mischel, MD

Stanford University
Stanford, California

For profound contributions to the scientific understanding of the role of extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) in cancer development and therapeutic resistance, including the development of innovative techniques to monitor ecDNA segregation during cell division.

Nubia Muñoz, MD, MPH

Universidad del Valle
Cali, Colombia

For pioneering global epidemiological studies that established the critical link between human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer, ultimately leading to the development of HPV vaccines, HPV diagnostic tests, and coordinated global efforts to prevent cervical cancer, while simultaneously highlighting the vital importance of population-based studies.

Lisa A. Newman, MD, MPH

NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
New York, New York

For steadfast commitment to breast cancer disparities research, including the characterization of the genetic origins of triple-negative breast cancer and defining its prevalence in women of African descent by establishing the International Center for the Study of Breast Cancer Subtypes, and for advancing innovative breast surgery techniques that have enhanced comprehensive patient care.

Electra D. Paskett, PhD, MSPH

The Ohio State University
Columbus, Ohio

For invaluable contributions to cancer screening, prevention, and survivorship in underserved and high-risk populations for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer, as well as for seminal studies that established aspirin’s role in preventing colorectal adenomas and duloxetine's impact on improving patient quality of life following chemotherapy.

Ira Pastan, MD

National Cancer Institute
Bethesda, Maryland 

For visionary contributions to cancer therapy through the development of recombinant immunotoxins, a groundbreaking class of targeted drugs that selectively kill cancer cells, in turn revolutionizing treatments for solid tumors, leukemia, and mesothelioma; and for advancing the field of receptor biology, which has ultimately contributed to the establishment of targeted antibodies as a cancer therapy.

William R. Sellers, MD

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

For vital contributions to cancer genomics and drug discovery, including codiscovering EGFR mutations in lung cancer, discovering the role of MITF as a lineage oncogene in melanoma, leading the development of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia initiative, and advancing over 35 cancer therapeutics into clinical trials, effectively revolutionizing precision medicine for a diverse array of cancer types.

David Sidransky, MD

Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland

For revolutionizing non-invasive liquid biopsy techniques for early cancer detection in tobacco-associated tumors, as well as being the first to identify genetic alterations in body fluids, leading to significant advancements in diagnostic methods and therapeutic drug development.

Josep Tabernero, MD, PhD

Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology
Barcelona, Spain

For cutting-edge contributions to translational gastrointestinal cancer research, from the biological basis of disease to the clinical implementation of novel therapies and application of biomarkers in clinical trials; for the development of patient-derived xenograft models that have advanced therapies targeting the HER/ERK and PI3K signaling pathways in RAS/RAF-wild type and -mutant cancers; and for identifying predictive biomarkers to optimize treatment response and overcome therapeutic resistance.

Ronald D. Vale, PhD

Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Ashburn, Virginia

For essential discoveries involving the mechanics of cellular motor proteins, including the identification of kinesin and its role in cellular processes including cell division and transport, and for unraveling the dynamics of dynein, leading to potential cancer therapies targeting both kinesin and dynein that have resulted in fundamental insights into the mechanisms of cancer metastases.

Ashok Venkitaraman, MBBS, PhD

Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR)
Singapore

For pioneering research elucidating the tumor suppressive functions of the hereditary breast cancer gene BRCA2 in genome maintenance, uncovering the mechanisms responsible for carcinogenesis in BRCA2 mutation carriers, and advancing technologies to accelerate drug discovery, thereby establishing a foundation for the development of novel cancer therapies.

Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil

University of Pennsylvania Health System
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

For groundbreaking research involving the integration of basic and clinical investigations to advance the establishment of novel cancer immunotherapies such as vaccines, antibody-based therapies, and adoptive T-cell therapies, and for defining the immunobiology of tumor microenvironments through the use of genetically engineered mouse models.

John N. Weinstein, MD, PhD

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas

For pioneering multi-omic molecular profiling of cancers in the laboratory and on the computer, including customization of cell management and assay methodologies, introduction of the Clustered Heat Map, and early innovations in artificial intelligence for cancer drug discovery. Those contributions preceded and influenced The Cancer Genome Atlas, Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia, and many subsequent multi-omic projects in which he has participated or led.

Paul Workman, PhD

The Institute of Cancer Research
London, United Kingdom

For instrumental advancements to cancer drug development, including the discovery of the HSP90 inhibitor NVP-AUY922 (luminespib), the PI3K inhibitor GDC-0941 (pictilisib), the AKT inhibitor AZD5363 (capivasertib), and the EGFR inhibitor ZD1839 (gefitinib); and for conceptualizing the “Pharmacological Audit Trail,” a biomarker-driven framework that has revolutionized rational decision-making in the establishment of oncology therapeutics.

Jinghui Zhang, PhD

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Memphis, Tennessee

For pioneering innovative analytical and visualization tools tailored for pediatric cancer research that have led to the definition of the molecular drivers of more than 20 cancer subtypes, and for pioneering the St. Jude Cloud platform for genomic data sharing and analysis of patient samples for more than 10,000 cancer patients and survivors that has provided crucial insights into the genetic origins of pediatric cancer.

Leonard I. Zon, MD

Harvard Medical School
Boston, Massachusetts

For fundamental research contributions to the establishment of zebrafish as a viable and effective model for the investigation of hematopoiesis and cancer, which led to the discovery of neural crest transformation as a driver of melanoma initiation and PGE2’s critical role in enhancing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.