Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine
The American-Italian Cancer Foundation's Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine recognizes important discoveries in cancer biology, prevention, diagnosis and/or treatment.
In 2008-09, The Alexander Bodini Foundation Prize for Scientific Excellence in Medicine was awarded to Ronald Levy, MD and Lee M. Nadler, MD for outstanding research that led to the successful development of monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of lymphomas. The award is presented annually at the Benefit Dinner & Live Auction in November.
Ronald Levy, MD,
Robert K. Summy and Helen K. Summy Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Oncology, Stanford University
Ronald Levy, MD, is Chief of the Division of Oncology at Stanford University. He obtained his bachelor's degree in biochemistry from Harvard University in 1963 and his medical degree from Stanford University in 1968. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.
Dr. Levy's research has focused for more than 20 years on monoclonal antibodies to B cells. He was the first to successfully treat human lymphoma with a monoclonal antibody, and went on to make important contributions to the development of rituximab (Rituxan®) for the treatment of patients with resistant low-grade lymphomas. He is currently conducting clinical trials of a lymphoma vaccine. His research concentrates on the study of malignant lymphoma, using the tools of immunology and molecular biology to develop a better understanding of the initiation and progression of the malignant process. Dr. Levy is using lymphocyte receptors as targets for new therapies for lymphoma. He has published over 250 articles in the fields of oncology and immunology.
Dr. Levy has received international acclaim for his work using the body's own arsenal to fight cancer. In 1982 he shared the first Armand Hammer Award for Cancer Research, and was later awarded the Ciba-Geigy/Drew Award in Biomedical Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Karnofsky Award, the General Motors Charles Kettering Prize, the Key to the Cure Award by the Cure for Lymphoma Foundation, the Medal of Honor by the American Cancer Society, the Evelyn Hoffman Memorial Award by the Lymphoma Research Foundation of America, and the 2004 Damashek Prize from the American Society of Hematology.
Lee M. Nadler,
MD, Senior Vice President, Experimental Medicine
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Lee M. Nadler, MD, spent the last 30 years at Harvard Medical School (HMS) as a clinical and translational investigator, physician, and leader. He presently serves as the Senior Vice President of Experimental Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) and Director of the DFCI Center for Clinical and Translational Research.
Between 1993 and 1997, Dr. Nadler built the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at the DFCI into the largest and one of the most distinguished groups in the world. He was one of the founding leaders of the Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center. Based upon this success, he was chosen in 1997 to be the first Chairperson of the Department of Adult Oncology at the DFCI and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He grew the clinical service from 40,000 outpatient visits to 200,000 in five years. He recruited over 40 basic and clinical investigators to his Department to lead basic science and clinical programs. These individuals are now leaders of Disease Centers and Science Centers at DFCI and at other centers across the world.
In 2002, he stepped down as Chairperson to build the Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR) at DFCI. CCTR now has a 12-bed Clinical Research Center that will increase to 24 in 2011, a state-of-the-art Clinical Research Laboratory, a Translational Research Laboratory, and the Next Generation Program, which is in the process of recruiting and mentoring 10 Clinical Investigator Assistant Professors. In November 2007, Dr. Nadler assumed the position of HMS Dean for Clinical and Translational Research.
The human B-cell antigens CD19, 20, 21, 22, 80 and 86 were discovered and characterized in Dr. Nadler's laboratory. He pioneered the fields of monoclonal antibody diagnosis and therapy. He characterized human B-cell leukemias and lymphomas studying their relationship to normal B-cells, thus pioneering the immunophenotypic classification of these malignancies. His work underlies the standard of practice for leukemia and lymphoma classification throughout the world. He was the first in the world to treat a patient with a monoclonal antibody. He went on to develop strategies to purge lymphoma cells contaminating bone marrow stem cells. In the clinic, he and his team opened the fields of high dose chemoradiotherapy and monoclonal antibody purged stem cells for low-grade lymphomas and B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. More than 1,000 patients have been treated on his trials.
Dr. Nadler and his colleagues also were pioneers in the field of T-cell costimulation. B7 (CD80 and CD86) were discovered in his laboratory. This work not only contributed greatly to the field of T cell costimulation but also was translated by his team to a human clinical experiment. They demonstrated that it was possible to induce alloantigen specific T cell anergy in vitro that allowed them to conduct the first non-T cell purged haploidentical stem cell transplantation trials in humans.
During the last decade, Dr. Nadler and his colleagues have concentrated on the field of human tumor immunity. Achievements include discovery of the first universal human tumor antigens and development of a human artificial antigen-presenting cell. All of these experiments have now been successfully translated to the clinic. Of particular note, his discovery of CD20 has had a major clinical impact on several diseases. Rituxan®, the humanized form of Nadler's B1 CD20 antibody, is now the standard of care for patients with B-cell lymphoma. It has improved the cure rate for lymphoma during the past decade by nearly 30%. Rituxan® is also a major therapeutic agent for rheumatoid arthritis, ITP, SLE, pemphigus vulgaris, and multiple sclerosis.
For these achievements, Dr. Nadler rose to the rank of full professor at Harvard in 1992. He was appointed the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor of Medicine in 2002. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and American Association of Professors. The American Association of Cancer Research awarded him the Rosenthal Award for the highest contributions to clinical research for an investigator under 50 and then awarded him the Burchenal Award for the highest contributions to clinical research and impact for an investigator over 50; only one other person has been awarded both.
