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AACR Names New Editor-in-Chief of the Journal Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA – The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) today announced the appointment of Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD, as the editor-in-chief of Cancer Research, one of the 10 highly esteemed peer-reviewed journals published by the AACR.

Established in 1941, Cancer Research is the foundational journal of the AACR and publishes original studies, reviews, and opinion pieces offering insights that deepen our understanding of cancer biology to address the personal, clinical, and societal problems posed by cancer. Areas of focus include cancer landscapes (genomics, epigenomics, and other -omics studies); molecular biology and metabolism; tumor biology; cancer immunology; therapeutic development and chemical biology; computational science and technology; translational biology; and convergence science. 

“The AACR is delighted to welcome Dr. Iacobuzio-Donahue as editor-in-chief of Cancer Research,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Her extensive publishing record, along with her innovative scholarship and scientific expertise spanning many areas of basic and translational research, make her particularly well suited for this important position. Under her exceptional leadership, Cancer Research will continue to attract high-quality manuscripts that move the field forward.”

Iacobuzio-Donahue is currently director of the David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research and an attending pathologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where she is also an affiliate member of the Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program. Her research interests include understanding the role of somatic DNA mutations in tumorigenesis, metastasis, and treatment resistance, with a strong focus on pancreatic cancer. Utilizing both primary and metastatic tumor samples in combination with next-generation sequencing, Iacobuzio-Donahue has discovered distinct patterns of metastatic failure in pancreatic cancer and the relationship of these patterns of failure to the genetics of the primary carcinoma. Her novel research also has identified the origin of distant metastases from subclonal populations that preexist within the primary tumor and has provided insights into the timing of distant metastasis formation using computational models.

“I am extremely honored to serve as the next editor-in-chief of Cancer Research, a journal that is central to the history of the AACR and its mission to advance the cancer research literature,” said Iacobuzio-Donahue. “In this position, I foresee the tremendous opportunity to redefine the role of Cancer Research as a hub for the publication of the most impactful science in the field.”

An AACR member since 1995, Iacobuzio-Donahue has served as chair, AACR Laboratory Research Awards Committee (2022-2023); cochair, AACR Annual Meeting Program Committee (2020-2021); chair, AACR-Bayer Research Grants Scientific Review Committee (2019-2020); and chair (2016-2017) and member (2012-2014), Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Pathway to Leadership Grants Scientific Review Committee. She is a member of the AACR Women in Cancer Research constituency group and received the AACR Team Science Award in 2013.

Iacobuzio-Donahue received her undergraduate degree from Adelphi University and her graduate degrees from Boston University School of Medicine. She completed her residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she was then a member of the faculty until joining Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in 2014. Iacobuzio-Donahue was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigators in 2015 and to the Pluto Society of the American Association of University Pathologists in 2017. She has authored or co-authored more than 265 scientific articles and 17 book chapters, and written or edited four books.

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