Abstract
José Baselga, MD, PhD; Mario Capecchi, PhD; and Donald Coffey, PhD, are highlighted.
José Baselga, MD, PhD, physician-in-chief and chief medical officer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, was inaugurated as president of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in April at the organization's annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA. He will serve a 1-year term, succeeding Carlos Arteaga, MD. Baselga's research focuses on the development of molecularly targeted agents to treat cancer. His work helped lead to the development and approval of the anti-HER2 monoclonal antibodies trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta). He is an editor-in-chief of Cancer Discovery.
Mario R. Capecchi, PhD, distinguished professor of biology and human genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, and an investigator at that city's Huntsman Cancer Institute, received the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research at the organization's annual meeting. He is best known for discovering how to genetically engineer mice in which a specific gene is deleted, work that proved vital in studying mutations common in cancer—and that earned him the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine in 2007.
Also at the AACR meeting, Donald S. Coffey, PhD, distinguished professor of urology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, received the Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievement in Cancer Research. Coffey's studies of the structure of cell nuclei led to the discovery of the nuclear matrix. Known for his dedication to mentoring young investigators, Coffey has been a passionate advocate for increasing research funding.
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