(January 17, 2007, Bethesda, MD) -- The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) announced today that Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D. has been awarded the 2nd Annual Albert Szent-Gyrgyi Prize for Progress i n Cancer Research. Dr. Cavenee, Director of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and Distinguished Professor at the University of California, San Diego, won the prize for his groundbreaking discoveries regarding the genetic mechanisms of predisposition to human cancer. Dr. Cavenee's research provided the first genetic evidence for the existence of tumor suppressor genes, one of the most influential breakthroughs in cancer research.
The annual Albert Szent-Gyrgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research was established to recognize outstanding scientific achievement in the war against cancer and to honor pioneering scientists who have made extraordinary contributions in the field of cancer research. The Prize is designed to draw attention to the continued need to support basic cancer research and the role that it plays in new cancer therapies. The Prize includes a $25,000 honorarium.
"Dr. Cavenee is a pioneer in the truest sense of the word. His research on tumor suppressor genes has not only advanced our understanding of cancer, but it also has provided valuable insight in the role that hereditary predisposition plays into developing cancer," said Dr. Harold Dvorak of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital and Chair of the Szent-Gyrgyi Prize Selection Committee.
"Dr. Cavenee's discoveries have helped to pave the way for researchers to better break down cancer's complicated molecular structures and understand the role that tumor suppressor genes play in cancer growth and development," said Dr. Sujuan Ba, Co-Chair of the Szent-Gyrgyi Prize Selection Committee and Chief Scientific Officer of NFCR.
Dr. Cavenee's original research seeking to define the genetic lesions in retinoblastoma led to the first hard experimental evi
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Contact: Silas Deane
sdeane@nfcr.org
National Foundation for Cancer Research
17-Jan-2007