Short abstract
In memory of José Baselga
It was shocking news. My colleague, Marty Murphy, sent the message that José Baselga, 61, had died in the prime of his career, felled by a devastating neurological disease, Creutzfeldt‐Jakob. The sadness I experienced recalled my reaction to first hearing of the death of John F. Kennedy. In the brief period since José’s passing, much has been written about his transformative impact on cancer research, beginning with his work with John Mendelsohn on EGFR antibody therapy in the early 1990s and culminating with key trials on HER2 antibodies and targeted drugs. It was not just the trials, the discoveries that changed breast cancer treatment, the carefully executed translational studies that showed the impact of therapy at a molecular level. No, he did more. He inspired and emboldened so many others, especially younger researchers, to pursue pioneering pathways with the same intensity and persistence. I can best illustrate this latter point by describing his impact during his two years at my institution, the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center (MGH).
José’s notable work began with his fellowship with Mendelsohn at Memorial Sloan Kettering, after which he returned to Barcelona and established a premier drug development unit at Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, which to this day continues to do world class research with his successor and colleague, Josep Tabernero. In 2010 we were most fortunate to recruit José to the position of Clinical Director of the Cancer Center and Chief of Hematology/Oncology at MGH, a position I had held during the prior decade. His impact can only be described as akin to a tsunami. Everything was in motion. He created labs and clinics dedicated to drug development (e.g., the Henri and Belinda Termeer Center for Targeted Therapies), initiated trials on an unprecedented scale, and inspired our most talented fellows to delve into the mysteries of targeted research. Dejan Juric (PI3K inhibitors), Aditya Bardia (drug‐antibody conjugates), Lipika Goyal (FGFR inhibitors), Ryan Corcoran (ctDNA in colon cancer), and many others established highly productive research projects during his brief tenure and with his guidance. And then, quite unexpectedly in 2012 he accepted a position with broad responsibilities at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with control over vast resources and space. As Memorial's Physician‐in‐Chief and Chief Medical Officer, he was immensely successful in bringing together labs and clinics, and establishing molecular technologies unrivaled in the oncology research world.
José was a larger‐than‐life figure, joyful, exciting, unpredictable, and challenging, always passionate, unrelenting, and focused on his work, and altogether a catalyst for change. There was an expression commonly used in describing remarkable contributors in the modern world of biotech and high tech: DISRUPTIVE. That he was, and in breaking established boundaries, the results were remarkable.
I will only briefly touch on his career after MGH, as the many eulogies have covered that period in detail. His tenure at Memorial ended when it was revealed that he had failed to acknowledge ties to industry in peer‐accepted publications. It was certainly an error on his part, but there was never any doubt that the results were accurately described. How many of our heroes (other “generals” like MacArthur and Patton) have refused to be distracted by the more mundane rules that set limits on our professional activities. José’s final two years at AstraZeneca, interrupted by the COVID‐19 vaccine effort, diverted his total focus on oncology. I have no doubt that his impact on that company and its oncology pipeline would have been game changing.
José Baselga, MD, PhD
This has been a difficult three months for those of us in cancer research. First Joe Simone, then J Freireich, and now José Baselga have died, all legendary figures in the ongoing war against cancer. We mourn for José’s family, for Silvia his wife and their four children. They should know that the world is immensely grateful for and will long remember José and his contributions. Like Simone and Freireich, José Baselga changed our world for the better.
Smile, Pepe! I know you had more mountains to climb, but you should be so pleased with the heights you have scaled; the research paths you have blazed will long be traveled by those who are fortunate to have followed and learned from you.
Bruce A. Chabner, José Baselga, David P. Ryan, and Keith T. Flaherty. Pinedo Cancer Care Prize awarded to José Baselga, November 1, 2010, at the Chabner Colloquium.