The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Names 2006 Recipients of Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction
Leaders in Estrogen
Biosynthesis, Anti-Angiogenesis Therapies Join Foundation's Growing
Roster of Renowned Breast Cancer Pioneers
SAN ANTONIO - December 13, 2006 - The Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation, the world's largest private source of funding
for breast cancer research and community outreach programs behind the
U.S. government, has announced the 2006 winners of its most prestigious
honor, the Komen Foundation Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction.
2006 Brinker Award winners
The 2006 Brinker Award recipient for basic science is Evan Simpson,
Ph.D., Director of the Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research in
Melbourne, Australia and the 2006 award recipient for clinical research
is George W. Sledge, Jr., M.D., the Ballve-Lantero Professor of Oncology at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center in Indianapolis.
The Brinker Award
The Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction was established by
the Komen Foundation in 1992 to recognize leading scientists for their
significant work in advancing research concepts or clinical application
in the fields of breast cancer research, screening or treatment. Drs.
Simpson and Sledge will be recognized December 14 at the Komen
Foundation's Brinker Dinner held during the 29th
Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS), December14 through
17, 2006 in San Antonio's Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Professor Simpson
Professor Simpson's research has made a major impact in a variety of
fields, including embryology, endocrinology, reproduction, tumor
biology, and human physiology and pathophysiology. Simpson is
recognized as the world leader in the field of estrogen biosynthesis.
His research led to the concept that in post-menopausal women, estrogen
action in breast, brain and bone is due to local production in these
respective sites. This concept has influenced the development of new
drugs for the treatment of breast tumors. Simpson's work demonstrating
that aromatase in breast tumors is regulated differently than in the
surrounding normal breast tissue may lead to unique approaches for
treating breast cancer.
Dr. Sledge
Dr. Sledge was one of the first researchers to recognize the importance
of local invasion and angiogenesis in breast cancer and has been a
leader in the application of anti-angiogenesis therapies designed to
prevent the development of new blood vessels in human cancers. Sledge's
work in recent years has focused in on novel biologic therapies for
breast cancer. Sledge led a recent Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
trial examining the safety of trastuzumab and paclitaxel as adjuvant
therapy for breast cancer, and he led the first-ever trial of an
anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody for the treatment of metastatic breast
cancer. Sledge's involvement in the design and implementation of
pivotal trials has been critical in the development of adjuvant
therapies to improve disease-free and overall survival for women with
metastatic breast cancer.
The Brinker awardees will deliver the 2006 Komen Foundation's
Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction plenary lectures on their work
on the opening day of SABCS, December 14, from 3:30 - 4:45 p.m. in
Exhibit Hall D, Gonzalez Convention Center. Symposium attendees are
invited to attend the plenary lectures and the Brinker Award dinner,
which follows. Complete information about the symposium is available at
www.sabcs.org.
Past recipients
Past recipients of the Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction
include V. Craig Jordan, Ph.D., OBE a pioneer in the use of tamoxifen;
Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., whose research isolated the BRCA1 and BRCA2
gene mutations associated with genetic forms of breast cancer; Larry
Norton, M.D., whose dose-density approach to the administration of
chemotherapy has revolutionized breast cancer treatment; and Leland
Hartwell, Ph.D., winner of the 2001 Nobel Prize for medicine or
physiology who was recognized for his achievements in understanding the
cell cycle in the development of cancer. Brinker Award recipients each
receive a $20,000 honorarium and a special citation of this distinction.
