Researcher Recognized for Gene Technology and Signal Transduction Research

Axel Ullrich, Ph.D., has recently been announced as the recipient of the 2008 Pezcoller Foundation-American Association for Cancer Research (AACR; Philadelphia, PA, USA) International Award for Cancer Research for his pioneering work in the translation of genomics-based discoveries into novel approaches for cancer therapy. Dr. Ullrich is the director of molecular biology at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry (Martinsried, Germany), and is a renowned expert in gene technology and one of the most frequently cited cancer scientists in the area of signal transduction research.

"We are proud to honor Axel Ullrich, a brilliant scientist whose work is an exceptional triumph for biomedical research,” said AACR chief executive officer Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.). "His study of EGFR proteins and gene expression technology has benefited countless individuals with cancer and has substantial implications for future advances in cancer research.”

The award, now in its 11th year, recognizes an individual who has made a major scientific discovery in basic or translational cancer research. Dr. Ullrich will give his award lecture in San Diego, Calif. during the AACR annual meeting on April 13, 2008 in San Diego, CA, USA.

In Dr. Ullrich's honor, the Pezcoller Foundation will hold an award ceremony in early May 2008 in Trento, Italy, where he will receive a cash award of US$75,000. Lauded for his contributions to the discovery of the HER2/neu oncogene, Dr. Ullrich is an international leader in cancer research whose work has helped introduce an era of personalized medicine not only for the treatment of breast cancer, but also for other cancers. His strategy of genomics-based, target-driven drug development has helped to revolutionize the way cancer is studied and treated, and he is being honored for his ingenuity and insight into attacking the cancer problem through his study of signal transduction and genetics.

For more than 25 years, Dr. Ullrich has led the cancer research field in gene technology, studying gene expression and translating basic science discoveries into clinical applications and therapies. In the gene technology field's early days, Dr. Ullrich and his colleagues were the first to clone the genes of medically important proteins including the precursor to insulin, which led to the development of Humulin, the first therapeutic agent to be developed through gene-based technology. This research led to further study of the molecular genetic characterization of cell surface receptors through which Dr. Ullrich ushered in a new field of study, signal transduction. Dr. Ullrich's research in signal transduction research has revealed essential molecular mechanisms that determine the physiology of normal cells and has provided clues into similar mechanisms in other major human diseases.

Dr. Ullrich's recent work led to the development of the first multi-targeted kinase inhibitor, SU1128/SUTENT, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2006 for the treatment of kidney carcinoma and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. He is currently investigating the impact of SNPs on cancer progression, susceptibility, resistance, and therapy response. In his laboratory, Dr. Ullrich continues to lead basic research focusing on characterizing additional relevant receptor proteins, with the goal of developing new, more targeted cancer therapies.

Dr. Ullrich studied biochemistry at the University of Tuebingen in Germany and earned a Ph.D. in molecular genetics at the University of Heidelberg.

The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes over 26,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and in more than 70 other countries.

The Pezcoller Foundation was established in 1982 by Prof. Alessio Pezcoller, a dedicated Italian surgeon who made important contributions to medicine during his career and who has stimulated others to make significant advances in cancer research. The AACR and the Pezcoller Foundation established this award in 1997 to recognize a major scientific discovery in basic or translational research. It honors a scientist who has made a major discovery in basic cancer research or who has made significant contributions to translational research, who continues to be active in research and has a record of recent, noteworthy publications, and whose ongoing work holds promise for continued contributions to progress in the field of cancer.


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American Association for Cancer Research