Article written by Denise Heady for UCLA | September 9, 2019
“Physician-scientist Dr. Dennis Slamon, professor and chief of hematology/oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, has been awarded the 2019 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for the groundbreaking development of breast cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab), a lifesaving therapy for women with HER2-positive breast cancer. He shares the award with H. Michael Shepard, an American cancer researcher honored for work he completed at biotechnology company Genentech; and Axel Ullrich, a German cancer researcher from the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry.
The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation honored Slamon and colleagues for demonstrating that monoclonal antibodies — proteins that bind to specific invader organisms or abnormal (e.g., cancerous) cells — were a viable and effective strategy to treat solid tumors, opening a new path to develop and deploy antibodies to treat cancer.
‘Dennis is a scientific pioneer whose research has benefited countless patients and families,’ said Dr. Kelsey Martin, dean of the Geffen School of Medicine. ‘Everyone at UCLA is extremely proud that his accomplishments are being recognized by the Lasker committee.'”
Read the full article here. Additional coverage on UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center website.