Harry Graves Burkhart III Distinguished
University Chair in Cancer Biology;
Professor, Department of Cancer Biology;
Past President
The University of Texas
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, Texas
For groundbreaking contributions to telomere biology in cancer and aging, including the creation of the first telomerase knockout mouse, which demonstrated how telomere dysfunction links cancer and aging. Dr. DePinho’s pioneering mouse models established concepts such as tumor maintenance, collateral lethality, and synthetic essentiality, shaping cancer target discovery and therapeutic strategies. His work in pancreatic, colorectal, prostate, and brain cancers anticipated mechanisms of resistance, guiding the development of novel treatments. His discovery of the reversibility of aging and the identification of telomerase as a master regulator of aging-related genes have opened therapeutic avenues aimed at enhancing health-span and treating aging and age-associated diseases.
The AACR-Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship is awarded to a scientist whose novel and significant fundamental scientific work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the detection, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of cancer, and who embodies the dedication of the Princess to outstanding cancer research and advances that emanate from multinational collaborations. Her Imperial Highness Princess Kikuko Takamatsu was personally instrumental in promoting progress against cancer. She became a champion of these causes following her mother’s death from bowel cancer in 1933 at the young age of 43. To learn more, please visit the press release.
View Dr. DePinho’s Fellows of the AACR Academy page.
View Past Recipients.