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Warren Alpert Foundation recognizes leaders in cancer immunology
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Five scientists will receive the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize in recognition of their discoveries in the field of cancer immunology.
The honorees’ collective efforts have contributed to greater understanding of cancer’s ability to evade the immune system, leading to the development of more effective treatments for several malignancies.
The recipients are James P. Allison, PhD, chair of the department of immunology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Lieping Chen, MD, PhD, co-director of the cancer immunology program at Yale Cancer Center; Gordon J. Freeman, PhD, professor in the department of medical oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School; Tasuku Honjo, MD, professor of immunology and genomic medicine at Kyoto University in Japan; and Arlene H. Sharpe, MD, PhD, professor of comparative pathology, head of the division of immunology, and interim co-chair of the department of microbiology and immunobiology at Harvard Medical School.
The honorees, who will share a $500,000 prize, will be recognized at an Oct. 5 symposium at Harvard Medical School.
The Warren Alpert Foundation Prize recognizes those whose seminal discoveries offer the potential to change the understanding of disease or the ability to treat it.
“The discoveries honored by the Warren Alpert Foundation over the years are remarkable in their scope and potential,” George Q. Daley, MD, PhD, dean of Harvard Medical School, said in a press release. “The work of this year’s recipients is nothing short of breathtaking in its profound impact on medicine. These discoveries have reshaped our understanding of the body’s response to cancer and propelled our ability to treat several forms of this recalcitrant disease.”
The foundation has awarded nearly $4 million to 59 scientists.
“We commend these five scientists. [They] are indisputable standouts in the field of cancer immunology,” Bevin Kaplan, director of the Warren Alpert Foundation, said in the release. “Collectively, they are helping to turn the tide in the global fight against cancer. We couldn’t honor more worthy recipients for the Warren Alpert Foundation Prize.”