DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two widely respected and prolific breast cancer investigators today join the ranks of an esteemed group of scientists as recipients of this year’s Brinker Awards – the highest scientific honor awarded by Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization.
Established by Komen in 1992, the prestigious Brinker Awards for Scientific Distinction recognize advances in both our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of breast cancer (Basic Science) and the clinical setting (Clinical Research), which are both essential to combating the disease.
This year’s Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Basic Science will be presented to Lisa Coussens, Ph.D., Professor of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Sciences University in Portland, OR.
Dr. Coussens has made several pivotal discoveries about the role of immune cells in cancer development and progression. In a seminal study, she demonstrated that certain immune cells were actually “hijacked” by early tumors to promote breast cancer growth and metastasis. She and her team discovered an intricate cell-cell communication process through which tumor cells trigger T-lymphocytes or T-cells (a type of white blood cell involved in controlling the immune response to foreign substances) to recruit another type of white blood cell called macrophages to early tumors. Normally involved in clearing debris, macrophages around tumor cells produce epidermal growth factor (EGF) that in turn promotes tumor cell proliferation and invasion. This provocative finding expanded our understanding of the tumor microenvironment and sparked additional research aimed at reprogramming these immune cells by designing and then testing targeted and immune-based therapies to prevent them from aiding and abetting the cancer.
“We are excited to honor Dr. Coussens with this distinction. Her work is helping lay the foundation for the development and clinical use of immunotherapies that will significantly impact the future of breast cancer research and treatment,” said Komen’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Jennifer Pietenpol, Ph.D., Executive Vice President for Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, the B.F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Molecular Oncology, and Professor of Biochemistry and Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “In addition to her groundbreaking research, she is also an incredible mentor to countless young researchers helping to ensure that the next generation of scientists enter the breast cancer field.”
This year’s Brinker Award for Clinical Distinction in Clinical Research will be presented to Eric Winer, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, Director, Breast Cancer Program; Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA.
Dr. Winer is being honored for his devotion to applying the advances from clinical trials to daily practice to improve breast cancer patient care and quality of life. He has designed and conducted a wide array of clinical trials that have changed clinical practice or paved the way towards more personalized treatment of breast cancer. His career has focused on optimizing the treatment of breast cancer for specific patient populations. His clinical research has included multimodality studies to determine optimal drug doses and treatment durations, the best treatment sequence and the most effective drug combinations to treat early, locally advanced and metastatic breast cancers.
“Dr. Winer’s accomplishments in breast cancer research and in the clinic have impacted treatment for all stages and all the major biologic subtypes of the disease and led to lasting impact on patient outcomes,” said Komen’s Chief Scientific Advisor, Dr. George Sledge, M.D., Professor of Medicine, and Chief of the Division of Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. “Throughout his career he has appreciated the impact treatment has on patients and has focused on developing greater individualization in treatment, so that we can achieve highly effective treatment with fewer side effects.”
Both 2018 Brinker Award winners will deliver keynote lectures at the 41st annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and will be honored at an awards ceremony.
Advancing breast cancer research has been a priority for Komen since opening its doors in 1982. To date, Komen has invested more than $956 million in breast cancer research and is the largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research outside of the U.S. government.
About Susan G. Komen®
Susan G. Komen is the world’s largest breast cancer organization, funding more breast cancer research than any other nonprofit outside of the federal government while providing real-time help to those facing the disease. Komen has set a Bold Goal to reduce the current number of breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026. Since its founding in 1982, Komen has funded more than $956 million in research and provided more than $2.1 billion in funding to screening, education, treatment and psychosocial support programs serving millions of people in more than 60 countries worldwide. Komen was founded by Nancy G. Brinker, who promised her sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would end the disease that claimed Suzy’s life. That promise has become Komen’s promise to all people facing breast cancer. Visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN. Connect with us on social at ww5.komen.org/social.