Hunter Receives Two Major Cancer Awards

March 2, 2004

Hunter Receives Two Major Cancer Awards

March 2, 2004

拉霍亚，加利福尼亚州 托尼·亨特, professor of molecular and cell biology at the Salk Institute, has received two major awards for cancer research.

The American Cancer Society presented Hunter with its most prestigious award, the Medal of Honor, on Feb. 28 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The society’s Medal of Honor recognizes outstanding contributions in the areas of clinical research, basic research and cancer control.

Hunter has also received the Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research. The $200,000 award by the American Association for Cancer Research recognizes Hunter’s accomplishments in discovering how cells turn cancerous and how that process can be thwarted. The award will be presented at the AACR’s annual meeting on March 29, 2004, in Orlando, Fla.

Hunter is known specifically for discovering how phosphate molecules can stimulate cell growth when they are attached to proteins by enzymes called tyrosine kinases. Hunter’s pioneering work has led to the development of several anti-cancer drugs that block the activity of specific tyrosine kinases. Many of these drugs are now undergoing clinical trials, and one – a drug called Gleevec – has been approved to treat a specific type of leukemia.

“I’m honored to have received these prestigious awards,” said Hunter. “I hope that this recognition underscores the vital importance of basic research in developing new treatments for cancer, and that it heralds an era of cancer treatments that can specifically halt cancer cells with a minimum of adverse effects.”

索尔克生物研究所（Salk Institute for Biological Studies）位于加利福尼亚州拉霍亚，是一个独立的非营利组织，致力于生命科学的基础发现、改善人类健康和条件，以及培养未来几代研究人员。乔纳斯·索尔克医学博士于1960年创立了该研究所，获得了圣地亚哥市政府赠送的土地以及“March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation”（足迹慈善母婴健康基金会）的财政支持。.