| Cavenee Awarded
Albert Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer
Research
January 22, 2007
Webster K. Cavenee Webster K. Cavenee has been awarded
the Albert Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in
Cancer Research by the National Foundation for Cancer
Research. Cavenee, director of the Ludwig Institute
for Cancer Research San Diego Branch, which is based
at UCSD, won the prize for his groundbreaking discoveries
regarding the genetic mechanisms of predisposition
to human cancer. 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-Györgyi 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.
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| Karen Arden and Webster
K. Cavnee |
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"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-Györgyi
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-Györgyi Prize Selection Committee
and chief scientific officer of the National Foundation
for Cancer Research.
Cavenee's original research seeking to define the
genetic lesions in retinoblastoma led to the first
hard experimental evidence for the existence of tumor
suppressor genes in humans. This breakthrough confirmed
the "two-hit hypothesis," fundamentally
altering the way scientists think about the onset
of cancer and its progression. Today, mutations of
tumor suppressor genes have been identified in more
than half of all tumors, including those of muscle,
melanocytes, kidney, prostate, and breast. Novel gene
therapies to reverse gene mutations or their effects
in cancer cells hold promise as cancer treatment strategies
which could be of benefit to cancer patients.
Cavenee is a Fellow of the National Foundation for
Cancer Research and has won many honors, including
the Charles S. Mott Prize of the General Motors Cancer
Research Foundation. He is a member of the National
Academy of Sciences, a former president of the American
Association for Cancer Research, a Fellow of the American
Academy of Microbiology, and serves on the editorial
boards of several journals. He has also served on
the board of both the Scientific Counselors of the
National Cancer Institute and the National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences. Cavenee received
his doctorate from the University of Kansas School
of Medicine.
"The Albert Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress
in Cancer Research means a great deal to the cancer
research field and I am humbled to have been selected
by my peers to receive it. It is my hope that the
discoveries I am being recognized for will have significant
long-term impact on those patients who suffer from
cancer around the world. That is the real prize,"
said Cavenee. "The support of the National Foundation
for Cancer Research over the years both for this prize
and for basic cancer research has been a vital part
of many significant research discoveries."
The Albert Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress
in Cancer Research was established by the National
Foundation for Cancer Research in honor of its co-founder,
Dr. Albert Szent-Györgyi, recipient of the 1937
Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine for his study
on Vitamin C and cell respiration. Szent-Györgyi
was a leading advocate for developing resources to
provide scientists with the financial support necessary
to pursue novel cancer research ideas. Any scientist
or individual may be nominated for the annual award
by their peers and the winner is selected by a prize
selection committee comprised of academic, scientific,
business and non-profit leaders highly qualified to
review and select the Prize winner.
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About the National Foundation for Cancer Research:
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) was founded in 1973 to support cancer research and public education relating to earlier prevention, better diagnosis, new and more effective treatments, and ultimately cures for all types of cancer. NFCR promotes and facilitates collaboration among scientists to accelerate the pace of discovery from bench to bedside.
To date, NFCR has provided over $230 million in support of discovery-oriented basic research focused on understanding how and why cells become cancerous and on cancer prevention. NFCR's scientists are discovering cancer's molecular mysteries and translating these discoveries into therapies that hold the hope for curing cancer. NFCR is about Research for a Cure-cures for all types of cancer.
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