Geneticist receives AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research
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Frederick W. Alt, PhD, received the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research.
The award, presented during the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting, honors individuals who made significant fundamental contributions to cancer research, either through a single scientific discovery or a collective body of work.
Alt is director of the program in cellular and molecular medicine at Boston Children's Hospital, as well as Charles A. Janeway professor of pediatrics and professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.
The award recognizes Alt’s discovery of gene amplification in mammalian cancer cells. His research established oncogene amplification as a mechanism of tumor progression and provided insights into nonhomologous DNA end joining, a pathway that repairs double-strand breaks in DNA. His discovery has greatly improved scientific understanding of how genomic rearrangements occur and how they contribute to cancer.
“Dr. Alt is a pioneer in the fields of genetics and immunology whose landmark discoveries have had a defining impact on the study of cancer biology,” Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), CEO of AACR, said in an association-issued press release. “We thank him for his immeasurable contributions to cancer research and are proud to honor his ongoing dedication to progress against cancer with this award.”
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