Lilly and the AACR Work Together To Recognize Breakthrough Research in the Fight Against Cancer
Los Angeles (ots/PRNewswire)
- Awards Presented for Substantial Contributions to Cancer Research
Innovative and collaborative cancer research can be the catalyst to improving patient outcomes. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) at the 2007 AACR Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, Eli Lilly and Company in partnership with AACR presented two awards, which acknowledge innovation and the growing importance of interdisciplinary teams working together to transform research discoveries into clinical practice.
"Both the Team Science Award and the G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award allow us to recognize individuals and teams who are working to bring meaningful progress to the future of cancer care," said Richard Gaynor, M.D., vice president, cancer research and global oncology platform leader at Lilly. "Their work is occurring at hospitals, research organizations, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and government institutions. The breakthroughs delivered by these award recipients can form the backbone of the next phase of cancer treatments. At Lilly, we are collaborating with researchers around the world to identify the best ways to deliver the right medication at the right dose and the right time for patients. This gives the medical community and patients more powerful options in the fight against cancer."
The first-ever Team Science Award was presented to a collaborative 16-member team from the University of Michigan and Harvard University-Brigham and Women's Hospital. The two universities worked together to uncover a breakthrough finding -- a unique change involved in the pathogenesis of prostate cancers -- which has profound clinical and biological implications for understanding not just prostate cancer but possibly other common solid tumors.
Selected from a pool of nearly 30 applicants, the Michigan and Harvard team was collectively awarded a prize of US$50,000. In addition to their prize, the institutions will be cited for their collaboration and contribution to team science.
Also presented was the G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award recognizing an individual with outstanding recent accomplishments in basic cancer research. The award was presented to Michael Kastan, M.D., Ph.D., cancer center director at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, for his leadership in studying cellular responses to DNA damage. Lilly and the AACR established the award in 1961 to honor Dr. G.H.A. Clowes, a former research director at Lilly and an active member of AACR. Dr. Kastan will be awarded US$30,000 and will deliver a lecture on his research findings during the 2007 AACR Annual Meeting.
"It is an honor to recognize Dr. Kastan with the Clowes Award and the collaborative team from the University of Michigan and Harvard University with the Team Science Award," said Gaynor. "Their work provides meaningful knowledge of how we may be able to find new and innovative treatments to combat this deadly disease."
About AACR
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 more than 24,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment, and patient care. AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication, CR, is a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. It provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship, and advocacy.
About Lilly Oncology, a Division of Eli Lilly and Company
For more than four decades, Lilly Oncology has been collaborating with cancer researchers to deliver innovative treatment choices and valuable programs to patients and their physicians. Inspired by courageous patients living with cancer, Lilly Oncology is providing treatments that are considered global standards of care and developing a broad portfolio of novel targeted therapies to accelerate the pace and progress of cancer care. To learn more about Lilly's commitment to cancer, please visit www.LillyOncology.com.
About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs.
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Web site: http://www.LillyOncology.com
Contact:
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