Supported by the Irving Weinstein Foundation, this AACR Lectureship was established to recognize and present outstanding science that has the potential to inspire new thinking and perspectives on the etiology, progression, and prevention of cancer.
This Lectureship is selected by the AACR President, and is not open to nomination. The recipient of the 2009 Lectureship will be announced in January 2009.
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Recipient of the 2008 Lectureship
Sydney Brenner, D.Phil., Senior Fellow of the Crick-Jacobs Center of the Salk Institute, Senior Fellow of the Janelia Farm Research Campus of Howard Hughes Medical Institute |
Dr. Brenner delivered his Award lecture entitled Humanity's Genes at the 2008 AACR Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. The Award ceremony and lecture was held on Tuesday, April 15, 2008, from 1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. For 2008 Annual Meeting information, please click here. He received the Award from Dr. William N. Hait, (left) AACR Past President, and Dr. Steven Lipkin (right), of the Irving Weinstein Foundation.
Dr. Sydney Brenner is one of the past century's leading pioneers in genetics and molecular biology. Among his many notable contributions to the then-emerging field of molecular biology was his demonstration of the existence of messenger RNA and the elucidation of the triplet nature of the code of protein translation through the Crick, Brenner et al. experiment of 1961, which discovered frameshift mutations. This insight provided early elucidation of the nature of the genetic code.
He then focused on establishing Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for the investigation of animal development including neural development. Brenner chose this one millimeter-long soil roundworm since its simple genetic system could answer fundamental questions regarding the processes underlying the differentiation of cells into complex organs. This work clarified the fundamental nature of our genetic code, and opened the fields of developmental biology and programmed cell death. It is indeed a fitting tribute to this groundbreaking work that he was named the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine (along with Drs. H. Robert Horvitz and John Sulston). The title of Dr. Brenner's Nobel lecture "Nature's Gift to Science" is homage to this modest nematode, and he considered that having chosen the right organism turned out to be as important as having addressed the right problems. In recognition of his pioneering role in starting what is now a global research community that works on C. elegans, another closely related nematode was given the scientific name Caenorhabditis brenneri.
He currently serves as Scientific Advisor to the A*STAR Board Chairman in Singapore. Dr. Brenner played an instrumental role in establishing the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) in Singapore in 1987. This proved to be a strategic milestone and critical starting point for Singapore's efforts to develop biomedical sciences. He then served as Principal Investigator at IMCB where he led the group to study the Fugu genome. The team published a landmark paper in Nature in 1993, and was a key party in the international consortium that sequenced and published the pufferfish genomic map in Science in August 2002. Today, Singapore is internationally recognized as a growing biomedical research hub. Dr Brenner's ideas and influence on policies and initiatives have left a deep imprint in enhancing Singapore's capability and reputation in contemporary and leading edge biomedical science research.
Dr. Brenner was awarded undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa. He received his doctorate in Chemistry from Oxford University and holds an honorary D.Sc. from the University of Chicago. Dr. Brenner served as the Director of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology from 1979 till 1986 and the Director of Medical Research Council Molecular Genetics Unit from 1986 till 1991. Dr. Brenner founded the Molecular Sciences Institute and is currently affiliated with the Salk Institute where he is Distinguished Professor of Biological Studies, the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, and the Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
In addition to being a Nobel Laureate, Dr. Brenner has received numerous awards and honors throughout his scientific career. They include two Gairdner Foundation International Awards; the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award; the Albert Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science; the Copley Medal; the Krebs Medal; the Croonian Medal; the Kyoto Prize; the King Faisal International Prize for Science; the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Neuroscience Research; and the Distinguished Friends of Singapore 2000 award for his contribution to the development of life sciences in Singapore. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of London, is a foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and is an adjunct professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego. He was also awarded the National Science and Technology Medal by A*STAR, Singapore, for his distinguished and strategic contributions to the development of Singapore's scientific capability and culture, particularly in the biomedical sciences sector.
Dr. Sydney Brenner is a true visionary and one of the most important biologists of our time. The AACR is truly honored to have him as the Fourth recipient of the AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship.
Previous winners
View the complete list of winners of the AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship.