In each of the forthcoming issues, a selection of Editorial Board members and Authors will be featured. A full overview can be found at http://www.moloncol.org
Dr. Kari Alitalo
Research Professor of the Finnish Academy of Sciences, Director of the Molecular/Cancer Biology Program, University of Helsinki, Finland
Dr. Kari Alitalo (born 1952) is a tenured Research Professor of the Finnish Academy of Sciences and the Director of the Molecular/Cancer Biology Program and Centre of Excellence in the University of Helsinki, Finland. He obtained an M.D. (1977) and a Ph.D. (1980) from the University of Helsinki. During his postdoctoral period in 1982–1983, Dr. Alitalo worked with Drs. J. Michael Bishop and Harold E. Varmus in San Francisco. Dr. Alitalo has discovered several novel receptor tyrosine kinases, important, in particular, in endothelial cells. He has shown that some of these receptors and their ligands play important roles in tumor angiogenesis. Among the original findings are the cloning and characterization of fibroblast growth factor receptor‐4, the C‐terminal Src tyrosine kinase and the first endothelial specific receptor tyrosine kinase, Tie, as well as VEGFR‐3 and the cloning and characterization of VEGF‐B in collaboration with Dr. Ulf Eriksson and determination of VEGFR‐1 and NP‐1 as its receptors. A significant achievement by Dr. Alitalo was the isolation, cloning and characterization of the first lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGF‐C and isolation of lymphatic endothelial cells, opening up the lymphatic vascular system to molecular analysis after over a hundred years of descriptive pathology. He has also been central in the characterization of VEGF‐B, VEGF‐C and VEGF‐D receptors and signal transduction pathways and the function of VEGFR‐3, showing that this receptor is required for angiogenesis and later in lymphangiogenesis in embryos. He has devised molecular therapies for lymphedema that are now entering clinical trials. He, furthermore, demonstrated that VEGF‐C is overexpressed in tumors and its receptor VEGFR‐3 is upregulated in angiogenic tumor vasculature. His studies led to the demonstration of VEGF‐C associated tumor lymphangiogenesis, intralymphatic tumor growth, and VEGF‐C association with tumor metastasis and its inhibition by blocking the VEGFR‐3 signal transduction pathway. Dr. Alitalo has published more than 330 research articles and 100 reviews, and has received several scientific awards, including Leopold Griffuel Prize (2003), Eric K Fernström Foundation's Nordic Prize (2005) and Louis‐Jeantet Prize For Medicine (2006).
Website: http://www.helsinki.fi/university/
Filippo Belardelli
Director of Research/Director of Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, Rome), Italy
Filippo Belardelli (F.B.) is Director of Research at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, Rome) where he serves as Director of the Department of Cell Biology and Neurosciences. F.B. worked at the Institute de Recherches Scientifiques sur le Cancer in Paris (Laboratory of Dr. I. Gresser). In 1996, he worked at the Department of Immunology of The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA). His main areas of research include: (i) role of interferons and other cytokines in the pathogenesis and control of viral infections and in the control of tumor growth; (ii) development of SCID mouse models for AIDS research; (iii) gene therapy of cancer; (iv) cancer vaccines; (v) biology of dendritic cells and development of dendritic cell‐based vaccines for HIV infection and cancer; (vi) immunotherapy of cancer and of infectious diseases. F.B. served as coordinator of European projects in the fields of infectious diseases and cancer, organized the 1st European meeting on Cancer Vaccines (Rome, 1998), the International Meeting on Cytokines as Natural Adjuvants (Rome, 2002), International Meeting on Cancer Vaccines (Rome, 2004) and International Meeting on Immunotherapy of Cancer: Challenges and Needs (Rome, 2006).
Website: http://www.iss.it
Professor Mina Bissell
Distinguished Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
Professor Mina Bissell is a Distinguished Scientist (Nov 2002–) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), University of CA (UC), Berkeley, CA, where she is also Senior Advisor to the Laboratory Director on Biology (Nov 2002–), a member of three graduate groups at UC Berkeley, and a member of the Faculty, Breast Oncology Program, UCSF (2006–).
Professor Bissell gained a B.A. (Honors) in Chemistry from Radcliffe/Harvard College (1963) and an M.A. (1964) and Ph.D. from Harvard University Medical School in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (1969). Previous research experience and employment includes: Visiting Wellcome Professor, Kettering Institute, University of Cincinnati Medical School (1986–1988); Director, Cell and Molecular Biology Division, LBNL (1988–1992); Director, Life Sciences Division (includes Cell and Molecular Biology Division), LBNL (1992–2002); Associate Director, Biosciences, LBNL (1995–2002).
She has received numerous awards and honors, including the Lawrence Award and Medal; President, American Society of Cell Biology (1997); Election to the Institute of Medicine of National Academies (IOM); Honorary Doctorate, Pierre & Marie Curie University, Paris, France (2001); Innovator Award in Breast Cancer, US Department of Defense (2002); Elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2002); Honorary Doctorate, University of Copenhagen (2004); Distinguished Scientist Award, OBER, US Department of Energy (2005); Ted Couch Lectureship and Award in Cancer Research, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute (2007); Pezcoller Foundation – AACR International Award for Cancer Research (2007); Election to the American Philosophical Society (2007); more than 80 distinguished and named lectures.
Professor Bissell has served on many national and international committees and review boards, including: Chair, two Gordon Research Conferences and two Keystone Conferences (1993, 1996, 1998, 2005); four NIH Study Sections; NCI Panel on “Preclinical Models of Cancer”(1997–1998); Board of Directors, AACR (1999–2001); Breakthrough Breast Cancer, London, UK (2002–); Nominating Committee, AACR (2006–2008).
She is currently Associate Editor and member of the Editorial Boards of 15 journals including: Journal of Cell Science (2006–); Science (2005–); The FASEB Journal (2002–); Breast Cancer Research (1999– Senior Editor). She has authored more than 250 original papers and has had five patents issued.
Webpage: http://www.lbl.gov/lifesciences/BissellLab/main.html
Eleftherios P. Diamandis
Professor and Head, Division of Clinical Biochemistry, University of Toronto, and Head, Section of Clinical Biochemistry, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
Eleftherios P. Diamandis is currently Professor and Head, Division of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto and Head, Section of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto.
Dr. Diamandis received his B.Sc. in Chemistry, Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry and M.D. from the University of Athens, Greece and his Diploma in Clinical Biochemistry from the University of Toronto, Canada. He is a Certified Clinical Chemist from the Canadian Academy of Clinical Biochemistry and the American Board of Clinical Chemistry.
He has published four books, 50 review papers and over 350 research papers. His interest is in tumor markers, genomic and proteomic technologies and their applications to diagnosis and monitoring of cancer.
Webpage: http://www.acdclab.org
Nadia Harbeck
Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Nadia Harbeck is Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany, where she is responsible for breast cancer systemic therapy (including trials) and coordinating clinical and translational breast cancer research. Professor Harbeck is a member of the German AGO breast cancer guideline committee, a steering committee member of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) PathoBiology Group, the Breast Cancer Group of the Munich Tumor Center, TransBIG, TransHERA, and a member of numerous other professional organisations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). She is also the Principal Investigator and steering committee member of several national and international clinical breast cancer trials.
Professor Harbeck has authored more than 140 papers in peer‐reviewed journals with her research focus being on prognostic and predictive factors in breast cancer and other solid malignancies. She has received numerous awards for her translational research, including the 2001 ASCO Fellowship Merit Award, a 2001 AACR Award for clinical–translational research, and the 2002 AGO Schmidt–Matthiesen Award for Gynecological Oncology. She was recently elected to give the Emmanuel van der Schueren Invited Lecture in the opening ceremony at EBCC 6 (Berlin, Germany, April 2008).
Website: http://www.frauenklinik.med.tu‐muenchen.de/
Ronald B. Herberman, M.D.
Founding Director University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, USA
Ronald B. Herberman, M.D., the Founding Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)‐designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, is an internationally recognized tumor immunologist who has made major discoveries in his field and has fostered the application of this information to novel approaches to cancer therapy. Dr. Herberman also is associate vice chancellor for cancer research, Hillman professor of oncology and professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
The phenomenon of natural killer (NK) cell‐mediated cytotoxicity against tumors was first discovered in Dr. Herberman's laboratory in the early 1970s, at a time when most cellular immunologists expected to find T cell‐mediated cytotoxicity against experimental and human tumor cells. His pioneering investigations of NK cells have demonstrated that they play an important role in resistance to the metastatic spread of cancer and that stimulation of NK activity by various immunomodulators leads to inhibition of metastases.
In addition to Dr. Herberman's seminal contributions to research on NK cells, he has played a leading role in the development of several other important aspects of tumor immunology. During his 19 years at the NCI, his contributions included the development of evidence for specifics antitumor immunity to human tumors and evidence for the prognostic value of some of these functions; the organization of a national program of immunodiagnostic research and a critical approach to the evaluation of tumor markers; a major role in the development of the Biological Response Modifiers Program of the NCI; and the adoption of a systematic, rational approach to the clinical investigation of biological response modifiers.
Much of Dr. Herberman's current research focuses on the systematic evaluation of IL‐2‐stimulated NK cells for their therapeutic efficacy and prolongation of survival, especially in regard to the use of this strategy in treatment of minimal residual disease following conventional treatment by surgery or chemotherapy, or both.
Dr. Herberman's achievements have been recognized by numerous awards, including the Governor of Pennsylvania's Award for Excellence in Science and Medicine, a Lifetime Science Award from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Immunology and Aging, and the Solomon A. Berson Medical Alumni Achievement Award in Clinical Science from his alma mater, New York University. Dr. Herberman was noted as one of the 100 most‐cited research authors for the period 1981–1990.
E‐mail: herbermanrb@upmc.edu
Dr. Elaine Jaffe
Acting Chief, Laboratory of Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Dr. Jaffe received an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She trained in pathology at the NCI. In 1980 she became Chief, Hematopathology Section, and is currently Acting Chief of Pathology.
Her clinical and investigational studies are intertwined to alter and enhance our understanding of the malignant lymphomas. One of her earliest papers on follicular lymphoma (1974), a Citation Classic, presented evidence for the origin of this tumor from follicular B cells. More recently she described in situ follicular lymphomas, which provide insight into the earliest events of follicular lymphomagenesis. Her work stresses the clinical implications of diagnoses, emphasizing the role as pathologists as clinical consultants.
Science Watch named her among the 10 most highly cited researchers in clinical oncology between 1981 and 1998. Dr. Jaffe has been president of both the Society for Hematopathology as well as the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology. She has held several positions in the American Society of Hematology. In 1993, she was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and subsequently was elected Chair of the Medical Sciences Section of AAAS. Among her awards are the Fred W. Stewart Award from Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, and the Lennert prize from the European Association for Haematopathology. She has served on 12 journal editorial boards, including The American Journal of Pathology, The American Journal of Surgical Pathology, Blood, Cancer Research, and Modern Pathology, among others.
Dr. Jaffe was a member of the Steering Committee and Senior Editor for the (2001) ‘WHO classifications of tumors: pathology and genetics of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues’ and is currently serving on the Steering Committee for the next edition in preparation. She also has been named one of the four Series Editors for the entire WHO monograph series on the ‘Pathology and genetics of tumours’.
Website: http://www.cancer.gov/
Olli Kallioniemi, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of the Academy of Finland, Director, Centre of Excellence in Translational Genome‐Scale Biology, Medical Biotechnology, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and University of Turku, Finland
Dr. Kallioniemi received his M.D. in 1984 and Ph.D. in 1988 at the University of Tampere in Finland. Board certification in Laboratory Medicine in 1990. Visiting fellow at UC San Francisco 1990–1992. Senior Scientist and Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Tampere 1993–1995. Principal Investigator and Head of Translational Genomics Section (1995–2002) at the Cancer Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, NIH, Maryland, Professor of Medical Biotechnology at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and the University of Turku, Finland (2003–), with Academy of Finland Professorship for 2004–2008.
Author of 208 publications. Invited lecturer in over 114 meetings in the past five years. Editor or member of the editorial board of six journals. Inventor of 15 issued patents, with a focus on technology development. Dr. Kallioniemi has played a key role in the development of Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) technique in 1992, tissue microarray (TMA) technology in 1998 and RNAi microarrays in 2001 and NMD microarrays in 2004. EACR Young Investigator Award in 1994, Anders Jahre Young Scientist Prize in 1998, NIH Director's Lecture in 2000, Medal of the Swedish Medical Society 2002, Member of the Academy of Finland (2005), EMBO‐member (2006).
Olli Kallioniemi's current research focuses on “Canceromics” and “Cancer‐Systems Biology” research with a focus on the identification of therapeutic targets, pathways and leads as well as mechanisms of action of cancer drugs.
Webpage: http://www.vtt.fi
Professor Richard Marais
Team Leader, Signal Transduction Team, Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK
Professor Marais is team leader of the Signal Transduction Team at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. He obtained a B.Sc. (1985) in Genetics and Microbiology with 1st class honors from University College London and a Ph.D. (1989) in Comparative Studies on Protein Kinase C Isotypes from Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, London. During his postdoctoral period (1989–1992), Professor Marais worked with Dr. Richard Treisman at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London and between 1992 and 1998 as Independent Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Cancer Research, London. He is a Founder Scientist with Proacta Therapeutics Ltd., a small biotechnology company that focuses on cancer therapies and founded by the Institute of Cancer Research, Auckland University and the Cancer Research Campaign (Cancer Research Ventures) in October 2001 (now incorporated in the USA). Since 1999, he has received many grants to help finance his research, which has resulted in 10 patent applications.
His current research focuses mainly on signal transduction in the area of RAF protein. The BRAF gene is mutated in approximately 70% of melanomas and also at lower frequencies in many other cancers. Professor Marais and his team use molecular, cell and structural biology to examine the biological consequences of BRAF activation in melanoma and other cancers. They are also developing novel signal transduction inhibitors that can be used to treat human cancer and trying to understand how these drugs can be used to provide effective therapeutic approaches for melanoma. His other research interest is in gene therapy approaches to treat cancer, in collaboration with Professor Caroline Springer (Institute of Cancer Research)….
Professor Marais is Secretary General of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) and member of several professional societies including the American Association for Cancer Research (since 2005), British Association for Cancer Research (since 1991), European Association for Cancer Research (since 2004). He is also a member of the steering committees for many national and international meetings.
He has authored over 90 original papers and reviews and has won several personal prizes: The British Association for Cancer Research/Zeneca Young Scientist of the Year (2001), Anniversary Prize of the Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie (Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; 2003), EACR Young Cancer Researcher “Certificate of Merit” (2003).
Website: http://www.icr.ac.uk/
Dr. Joan Massagué
Chairman, Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
Dr. Joan Massagué is Chairman of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is also a Professor at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences and the Gerstner Sloan–Kettering Graduate School of Medical Sciences. He is Adjunct Director of the Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine. He received his Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from the University of Barcelona in 1978, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Brown University. In 1982, he became Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School until he assumed his current position in 1989.
Joan Massagué is interested in how growth factors, signaling pathways, and gene expression programs control normal cell behavior and cancer cell metastasis. He elucidated fundamental machinery that conveys growth inhibitory signals from the cell membrane to the nucleus. Combining cell biology, biochemistry and genetics, he identified the TGF‐b receptors and their mechanism of activation. Building on this, he discovered that the Smad proteins are TGF‐b receptor substrates and transcriptional activators, thereby establishing the central concept of how this pathway operates. An end result of this process, Massagué found, is the inhibition of cell division through novel CDK inhibitors that he co‐discovered. His work provided a direct explanation for how external signals block mammalian cell division. These mechanisms are now known to be crucial in embryonic development, and their disruption causes tumor formation and metastasis. Building on these advances, Dr. Massagué has recently identified genes and mechanisms that mediate the ability of breast tumors to form metastasis in vital organs, answering long‐standing questions and opening new avenues of investigation into this devastating aspect of cancer. Dr. Massagué has published over 250 papers on these topics and is ranked among the 50 most highly cited scientists of the past 20 years.
Dr. Massagué has served as an advisor to the National Institutes of Health, the National Cancer Institute, the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the Fox Chase Cancer Center, the Searle Foundation, and the General Motors Foundation, and in the editorial boards of The Journal of Biological Chemistry, The Journal of Cell Biology, The Journal of Clinical Investigation, EMBO Journal, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Massagué is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Microbiology, the Spanish Royal Academies of Medicine and Pharmacy, and the European Molecular Biology Organization. He is the recipient of the King Juan Carlos Prize, the Prince of Asturias Prize, the Vilcek Prize, and the Passano Prize, among other honors.
Website: http://www.mskcc.org
Dr. Gordon B. Mills
Co‐Director Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
In 1994, Dr. Gordon B. Mills was recruited to The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he holds the rank of professor with joint appointments in Systems Biology, Breast Medical Oncology and Immunology; serves as Chairman of the Department of Systems Biology; head of the section of Molecular Therapeutics and holds the Ann Rife Cox Chair in Gynecology. Dr. Mills is co‐Director of the newly formed Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers and director for the new SCRBII Molecular Markers building to be opened this fall.
With more than 300 publications either published or in press, Dr. Mills has authored papers in such prestigious journals as Nature, Cell, Oncogene, Nature Genetics, Nature Medicine, Cancer Research, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Clinical Cancer Research. A testament to the quality of his research, Dr. Mills' work in ovarian cancer, breast cancer and tumor immunology has been continuously funded by major peer‐reviewed grants for 20 years. He serves as principal investigator on five NIH/NCI grants and three Department of Defense grants, co‐principal investigator on two NIH/NCI grants and one Department of Defense grant, and collaborator on multiple other national peer‐reviewed grants.
Dr. Mills has made significant contributions to the understanding of ovarian tumorigenesis, including the identification and development of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) as a possible marker for early‐stage ovarian cancer and as a potential target for therapy. He also has played a major role in increasing our understanding of the genetic aberrations in the phosphatidylinositol‐3‐kinase/PTEN/AKT pathway, forwarding this cascade as a major target for the therapy of multiple types of cancer.
Dr. Mills is the holder of more than 20 patents related to novel technologies and molecular markers. He was a co‐founder of an early diagnostics company. He currently sits on the scientific advisory boards of multiple different companies and venture capital groups. Based on his expertise in technology development, he is the head of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Technology Review Committee.
Dr. Mills now heads the Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers. This Center holds the responsibility for developing personalized molecular medicine at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Specifically, this center will implement a series of novel technologies to, for the first time, explore the genetic changes and their consequences at the DNA, RNA and protein levels in human tumors. This information will be used to identify patients at high risk for tumor development, so they can be triaged to early screening and chemoprevention, identify markers to use in early screening, and to determine approaches to ensure that patients receive the most effective and least toxic therapies targeting the underlying genetic aberrations in tumors.
Dr. Mills earned his M.D. and his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Alberta. From 1985 to 1994, Dr. Mills was a member of the faculty of the University of Toronto, rising to the rank of Associate Professor in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Immunology, and Clinical Biochemistry. Also during this time, he was an active staff member and director of Oncology Research at the Toronto Hospital.
Website: http://www.mdanderson.org
Professor Edit Oláh
Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Oncology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
Professor Oláh is founder and head of the Department of Molecular Genetics, National Institute of Oncology and professor of Molecular genetics, Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. She has also held positions in the USA, e.g. as visiting Professor, Laboratory for Experimental Oncology in Indianapolis. Professor Oláh obtained her Ph.D. in cancer genetics at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest in 1974. Her main areas of research include: (i) genetic predisposition to cancer (female and male breast‐, colorectal‐, ovarian‐ and testicular cancer; (ii) alternative splicing; (iii) genetic epidemiology of cancer susceptibility genes in Central and Eastern European populations; (iv) molecular control of cell proliferation and differentiation.
Professor Oláh has received many awards and honors including: Corresponding Member, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2007); Krompecher Award of Hungarian Cancer Society (2001), George Weber Foundation Award (1999). She has also served as Chair/Member, Fellowship Committee of International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon (2006–); President, Hungarian Cancer Society (2005–2007); Chair, European Coalition for Biomedical Research (2006–); President/Executive Committee Member, European Association for Cancer Research (EACR; 2000–2008); Trustee, World Alliance of Cancer Research Organizations (WACRO; 2001–2004).
Professor Oláh serves on six editorial boards, including Molecular Cancer Research, Advances in Molecular Medicine, Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research and Molecular Oncology.
She is author of 120 original publications in scientific journals, mostly on molecular cancer genetics/biology, cancer susceptibility genes, gene expression/alternative splicing and mitogenic signal transduction.
Website: http://www.oncol.hu
Ulrik Ringborg
Professor of Oncology, Director Cancer Center Karolinska, Stockholm, Sweden
Professor Ringborg was appointed Director of the Cancer Center, Karolinska, in 1994 and is also Senior physician and Professor of Oncology. His special mission is to coordinate the formation of a Comprehensive Cancer Center of all cancer activities at the Karolinska University Hospital and the Karolinska Institute.
He obtained his Ph.D. from the Karolinska Institute (1971) with a thesis on ‘Nucleolar RNA synthesis, processing and transport in salivary gland cells of Chironomus tentans’ and this was shortly followed by his Med. Lic. degree and State registration as medical practitioner (1972).
He has held various appointments: Associate Professor of Histology, Karolinska Institute (1971); Associate Professor of General Oncology (1978), qualifying as an oncology specialist (1979); Consultant, Department of General Oncology, Radiumhemmet (1992); Professor of Oncology and Head of Department of Oncology, Karolinska Institute (1992).
Alongside his present directorship, he has held various other positions within the Cancer Center: Head Division of Oncology (1995–2003); Member of the Executive Group of the Karolinska Hospital (1996–2003); Head of the Oncologic Clinic of the new Karolinska University Hospital (2004–2005).
Professor Ringborg served as Chairman of the Swedish Melanoma Study Group (1976–2003), and as member of the Research Board and the Governing Body of the Stockholm Cancer Society, the Research Board and the Governing Body of the King Gustav V Jubilee Fund and member of the Nobel Assembly. Other appointments include: member of the Research Board and the Governing Body (Vice Chairman) of the Swedish Cancer Society; member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of EORTC; member of the Steering Group of NOCI, EORTC; Honorary member, the Radiological Society of North America. He was also President of the European Society of Skin Cancer Prevention (2002–2003) and President of the Organization of European Cancer Institutes.
He has authored 264 publications in international journals and books, with scientific focus on malignant melanoma.
Website: http://www.karolinska.se
Guido Sauter
Director of the Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Hamburg‐Eppendorf, Germany
Dr. Sauter's main fields of scientific work include molecular cytogenetics, urologic oncology, breast cancer and molecular screening methods. Dr. Sauter started his scientific career in 1991 as a visiting scientist at the University of California, San Francisco, where he worked in the Laboratories of Fred Waldman and Joe Gray. During this time, he became involved in the early development of FISH and CGH technology. He and his group subsequently did essential work in uncovering the genetic background of urinary bladder cancer. As a result of this work, Dr. Sauter was selected to edit the urinary bladder part of the 2004 WHO classification of genito‐urinary cancers. More recently, prostate cancer has become a main focus of his work. His institute analyzes more than 1000 radical prostatectomy samples annually. A major contribution of Dr. Sauter is the tissue microarray (TMA) technique which his group developed jointly with Olli Kallioniemi's team at the NHGRI in Bethesda. Dr. Sauter's group manufactured TMAs containing more than 40,000 cancers and various large‐scale studies are derived from his resource, mainly focussing on breast and prostate cancer. Ongoing research focuses on the evaluation of novel gene amplifications combining CGH arrays and tissue microarrays.
Guido Sauter has published more than 180 scientific papers and received several prizes including the Rudolph–Virchow Prize 1997 of the German Society for Pathology.
Website: http://www.uni‐hamburg.de/
Dr. Mark Tykocinski
Simon Flexner Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
Dr. Mark Tykocinski is currently President‐Elect of two major academic Pathology societies in the United States – the American Society for Investigative Pathology and the Association of Pathology Chairs.
After receiving his B.A. in Biology from Yale University and his medical degree from New York University, he trained at Columbia‐Presbyterian Medical Center, the NYU Medical Center, and the Laboratory of Immunogenetics at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He served on the faculty of Case Western Reserve University prior to his current position at Penn. Dr. Tykocinski's research contributions have been in the fields of molecular and cellular immunology, and his overarching interest is in the design of novel recombinant proteins with immunotherapeutic potential and the development of innovative strategies for treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. The fusion proteins have included ‘protein paints’, ‘trans‐signal converter proteins’, and ‘cis‐loop‐back proteins’, with applications to cancer immunotherapy and treatment of autoimmunity and alloimmunity. The cellular strategies have included antigen‐presenting cells engineered for immunoinhibition (‘artificial veto cells’) and cancer vaccine cells rendered immunogenic via protein transfer. His group was also the first to uncover and dissect the unique T cell immunoregulatory properties of a major protein of pregnancy, placental protein 14 (PP14), and implicate this protein in the attenuation of cell‐mediated autoimmunity associated with early pregnancy.
Website: http://www.upenn.edu/
Jane E Visvader, Ph.D.
Laboratory Head, Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
Jane Visvader heads the developmental and molecular biology group in the Victorian Breast Cancer Research Consortium, located at The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute. Her research has focussed on understanding the epithelial hierarchy in the breast tissue and cell types that are predisposed to oncogenesis. This work has led to the prospective isolation of mouse mammary stem cells and luminal progenitor cells, thus providing a fundamental base for future studies in this field. Another major objective of the laboratory is to define transcription factors important for normal mammary gland development and perturbations that arise in breast cancer. A long‐standing interest in transcriptional regulators has resulted in important findings in hematopoiesis and mammary development. Jane has been awarded an NHMRC (Australia) Senior Research Fellowship and serves on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the Cancer Council, Victoria.
Jane completed her PhD in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Adelaide, and has held postdoctoral positions at the Salk Institute, San Diego and Childrens' Hospital, Boston/Harvard Medical School.
Website: http://www.wehi.edu.au/jane_visvader
(2007), Personal Profiles, Molecular Oncology, 1, doi: 10.1016/j.molonc.2007.08.001.