Three Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) Scientific Leaders Elected as Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy

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Luis F. Parada, PhD; Dana Pe’er, PhD; and Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is pleased to announce three faculty are among the 23 international scientific leaders elected today to the prestigious Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy class of 2023. All three are members of the Sloan Kettering Institute, a hub for basic science and translational research within MSK.

Luis F. Parada, PhD; Dana Pe’er, PhD; and Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, have been recognized by the AACR Academy for their significant contributions and impact on cancer research. They join 15 Fellows of the AACR Academy from MSK previously elected over the course of the program’s 10-year history including the late José Baselga, MD, PhD; Bayard Clarkson, MD; Luis Diaz Jr., MD; the late Jimmie C. Holland, PhD; Maria Jasin, PhD; Thomas J. Kelly, MD, PhD; Scott W. Lowe, PhD; Paul A. Marks, MD; Joan Massagué, PhD; Larry Norton, MD; Nikola P. Pavletich, PhD; Neal Rosen, MD, PhD; Alexander Y. Rudensky, PhD; Charles L. Sawyers, MD; and Craig B. Thompson, MD.

The mission of the AACR Academy is to recognize and honor distinguished scientists whose major scientific contributions have propelled significant innovation and progress against cancer. The AACR Academy leverages the expertise of the global brain trust of its Fellows to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, and funding for cancer research.

“We are exceptionally proud of Drs. Parada, Pe’er, and Sadelain, who have been elected by their peers as Fellows of the AACR Academy,” said Joan Massagué, PhD, Director, Sloan Kettering Institute and Chief Scientific Officer, MSK. “Each of them has made groundbreaking discoveries that have contributed to basic and translational cancer science and continue to impact clinical progress at MSK and beyond. I congratulate these scientific leaders on this prestigious and well-deserved recognition.”

Members of the 2023 Class of Fellows of the AACR Academy from MSK are:

Luis F. Parada, PhD, Member, Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, Sloan Kettering Institute; Albert C. Foster Chair; Director, Brain Tumor Center, MSK; American Cancer Society Research Professor; Professor, Cell and Developmental Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, recognized for illuminating research contributions involving the integration of molecular genetics, embryonic development, and signal transduction to understand nervous system tumors, and for pioneering the development of mouse models specifically designed for the investigation and development of glioblastoma multiforme therapies.

Dana Pe’er, PhD, Chair and Professor, Computational and Systems Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute; Scientific Director, Alan and Sandra Gerry Metastasis & Tumor Ecosystems Center, MSK; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Professor, PhD, Program of Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology, Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, recognized for fundamental contributions to the development of computational methods and algorithms that, when combined with high throughput experimental techniques, have provided key insights into the impact of genetic aberrations on molecular networks responsible for the onset and progression of various cancer malignancies.

Michel Sadelain, MD, PhD, Member, Immunology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute; Stephen and Barbara Friedman Chair; Director, Center for Cell Engineering, MSK; Professor, PhD Program of Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Weill Cornell Medicine Graduate School of Medical Sciences, recognized for unparalleled contributions to the conceptualization and optimization of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, including engineering CARs that provide enhanced proliferation, survival, and potency to T cells, identifying CD19 as a target for CAR therapy, and designing CD19 CAR therapies for patients with relapsed, refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Contact:
Nick Gardner
Media Relations
[email protected]