Nominations for the 2012 Award are now closed.
The Lectureship
The AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship was first presented in 2006. The lectureship is intended to give recognition to an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research.
The recipient will present the Seventh Annual AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship during the AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago, IL USA (March 31-April 4, 2012), receive an honorarium and commemorative award and receive support for the winner and a guest to attend the Annual Meeting.
Learn more about Dr. Jane Cooke Wright.
Eligibility
- Candidacy is open to all cancer researchers who are affiliated with any institution involved in cancer research, cancer medicine or cancer-related biomedical science anywhere in the world. Such institutions include those in academia, industry or government.
- The lectureship will be presented to an individual investigator.
- Institutions or organizations are not eligible for the lectureship.
Nomination Process
Nominations may be by any scientist, whether an AACR member or nonmember, who is now or has been affiliated with any institution involved in cancer research, cancer medicine or cancer-related biomedical science. Candidates may not nominate themselves.
Nominations must be submitted electronically to awards@aacr.org, no later than 4:00 p.m. United States Eastern Time on Tuesday, October 11, 2011. Paper nominations will not be accepted.
The following materials must be submitted:
Nomination Letter, which must:
- be addressed to the Selection Committee; be written in English; and not exceed 1,000 words;
- specify the AACR award for which the candidate is being nominated;
- contain a concise description of the candidate's meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research, with the publications supporting these accomplishments directly referenced within the letter;
- contain a concise description of the candidate's contributions to the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research, through leadership or by example; and
- contain a concise description of the impact of these accomplishments on the field.
Candidate's CV. The candidate's curriculum vitae in English, including a complete list of the candidate's publications.
Summary Statement. A statement, no more than 50 words, summarizing the candidate's research accomplishments for which he or she is being nominated.
Full program guidelines and nomination instructions are available through the link below.
Program Guidelines and Nomination Instructions
Preferred file formats are *.doc. The candidate's CV may be submitted as a .pdf file. Your nomination is not considered fully submitted until you receive a confirmation email from the AACR; confirmations will be sent within two business days.
Nominators are asked to maintain the confidentiality of the nomination process and to refrain from informing the candidate about the nomination.
There is no restriction on the number of candidates that may be nominated by any individual scientist. There is no restriction on the number of nominators that may write nomination letters or that may sign a single nomination letter on behalf of a candidate.
Selection
Candidates will be considered by a Selection Committee of international cancer leaders appointed by the president of the AACR. After careful deliberations by the committee, its recommendations will be forwarded to the Executive Committee of the AACR for final consideration and decision. Selection of the winner will be made on the basis of the candidate's contributions to the field of cancer research and to the advancement of minorities. No regard will be given to age, race, gender, nationality, geographic location or religious or political views.
Supporter
Supported by AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research.
Questions?
Linda Brooks-Stokes, Program Associate
linda.stokes@aacr.org
American Association for Cancer Research
17th Floor, 615 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106-4404
SPOTLIGHT
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Sixth Annual Recipient
Guillermina Lozano, Ph.D.
Chair, Genetics
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
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Dr. Guillermina Lozano (center) delivered her award lecture entitled, The p53/Mdm2 axis in tumor development and response to therapy, at the AACR 102nd AACR Annual Meeting 2011 in Orlando, FL. The award was presented by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez (left), Selection Committee Chairperson and Dr. Maria Elena Martinez (right), MICR Council Chairperson.
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Dr. Guillermina Lozano was honored for scientific contributions in understanding the regulation of the p53 tumor suppressor pathway.
In a landmark study, Dr. Lozano was the first to identify p53 as a transcriptional activator and showed that the common p53 mutants failed to activate transcription. She made the groundbreaking observation that embryonic lethality afforded by germ-line inactivation of Mdm2 was rescued by coincident deletion of germ-line p53, ushering in the modern era of p53 biology by demonstrating genetically the critical role Mdm2 plays in restraining p53 activity.
Using a mouse model with a p53 missense mutation that distinguishes cell cycle arrest from apoptotic pathways, Lozano demonstrated that p53 arrest of cell cycle and maintenance of chromosomal stability are as important as apoptosis in prevention tumorigenesis. This seminal work established the dual role of p53 as gatekeeper and caretaker.
Recent accomplishments include another unique knock-in mouse harboring a mutant p53 found in many cancer cells - identifying both unexpected new and pro-oncogenic properties of this mutant. Dr. Lozano and collaborators identified an MDM2 polymorphism that increases the levels of Mdm2, thus down modulating p53 activity and contributing to the onset of cancer in patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Dr. Lozano's genetic evidence for the key role of Mdm2 in regulating p53 levels is particularly critical, as this oncoprotein has been identified as a promising cancer drug target. Dr. Lozano's landmark discovery that the inherent instability of mutant p53 is stabilized by tumor-specific alterations also demonstrated that mutant p53 is stabilized by the same signals as wild-type p53. These findings call into question the therapeutic efficacy of Mdm2/Mdm4 inhibition by raising the possibility that inhibiting Mdm2/Mdm4 may potentiate the oncogenic activities of p53 mutants.
Dr. Lozano collaborates with clinical investigators to translate her findings to develop more effective cancer therapeutic regimens. By incorporating both K-ras and p53 missense mutations, she worked with oncologists to develop an improved mouse model that more closely simulates human metastatic lung adenocarcinoma than previous models.
Dr. Lozano is an outstanding role model for minorities in cancer research, leading by example through scientific achievements and her leadership in academic medicine. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership as the chair of the Genetics Department where she has recruited an outstanding group of investigators.