Cancer as a genetic disease begins with genetic lesions in proto-oncogenes, key regulators of cellular physiology. Discoveries by Riccardo Dalla-Favera, MD, and his team have shaped the modern cancer genetics paradigm, from cloning the first human proto-oncogenes and their cancer-associated variants to elucidating mechanisms of genetic alterations, and mapping the biological processes by which the genetic lesions cause lymphoma. “Most human diseases are cured when you know the mechanism,” Dalla-Favera believes. Toward this aim, his seminal contributions have led to diagnostic and therapeutic advances in lymphoma. Dalla-Favera's discoveries have been recognized by this year's AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Blood Cancer Research. As the director of the Institute for Cancer Genetics and professor at Columbia University, New York, Dalla-Favera continues pursuing fundamental questions regarding the genetic mechanisms of cancer through the lens of lymphoma. He shares his perspective on the history, current state, and future avenues of the field...

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