Scientific Areas of Expertise: Cancer Genetics; Molecular Biology; Virology
For groundbreaking research involving murine RNA tumor viruses and for contributing to the establishment of zebrafish as an essential disease model by developing a method of insertional mutagenesis and conducting a large-scale insertional mutagenesis screen, which led to the identification and cloning of 25 percent of genes essential for the early development of the fertilized egg and identification of genes that predispose adult fish to cancer.
An admired trailblazer in cancer research, Dr. Hopkins is recognized for her groundbreaking research involving murine RNA tumor viruses and for her work in zebrafish dedicated to defining the genetics of early vertebrate development that would contribute to the establishment of zebrafish as a viable cancer model organism. Her early work on mouse RNA tumor viruses focused on identifying viral genes that contribute to the host range of these viruses and to their ability to cause leukemias including distinct types and with different latent periods. Her lab identified the viral capsid protein as a host range determinant as well as roles for transcriptional regulatory elements that would ultimately be known as enhancers.
A pioneer in large-scale genetic screening in a vertebrate model, Dr. Hopkins is best known for devising a high-throughput insertional mutagenesis screening method in zebrafish that has proved valuable as an alternative to commonly used chemical screens. Specifically, Dr. Hopkins’ team infected zebrafish embryos with murine retroviruses, eliciting genetic mutations that were marked with retrovirus gene tags. Using this technique, her team identified and cloned 25% of the genes that are essential for the development of a fertilized egg into a larva. Through this groundbreaking work, Dr. Hopkins uncovered a subset of genes that predispose zebrafish to cancer, some of which are involved in human cancer. Furthermore, the screen revealed a group of ciliary genes that eventually were linked to human ciliopathies. A champion of change, Dr. Hopkins is devoted to cancer prevention and early detection research advocacy. In addition, she has served as an important and inspirational leader who consistently advocates for gender equity in science.
Selected Awards and Honors
2021 George Streisinger Award, International Zebrafish Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2021 Honorary Doctorate, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
2019 Honorary Doctorate, Rockefeller University, New York, New York
2014 Honorary Doctorate, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
2014 Harvard Centennial Medal, Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, United Kingdom
2012 Margaret L. Kripke Legend Award, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
2006 AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship, American Association for Cancer Research, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2004 Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
2003 UCSF Medal, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California
1999 Elected Member, National Academy of Medicine, Washington, DC
1998 Elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts