MAY 14, 2020, New York-Three Ludwig Cancer Research scientists were named (AACR) Class of 2020. The honorees include Ludwig Oxford’s Sir Peter Ratcliffe, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work, and Ludwig Harvard researchers Rakesh Jain and Kornelia Polyak. Election to the Academy is a high honor bestowed by the AACR on those whose scientific contributions have “propelled significant innovation and progress against cancer.” Nominees are elected through a peer review process conducted by existing members of the AACR Academy.
Ratcliffe was recognized by the Academy for his landmark on how cells sense oxygen and respond to its depletion, a body of work that has significantly enriched our understanding of tumor biology and is now being applied to develop new cancer therapies. Polyak was honored for her dissection of the role of cellular heterogeneity in breast cancer and cancer metastasis, and the application of that work to developing models for risk assessment and personalized cancer care. Jain, meanwhile, was recognized for his elucidation of interactions between the tumor microenvironment and surrounding vasculature, and the development of anti-angiogenic therapy to normalize tumor blood vessels for cancer therapy-work that the AACR notes has improved survival rates for a number of solid tumors.
Ludwig congratulates all three researchers on this well-deserved recognition of their contributions to cancer research and care.
