The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance is dedicated to playing a catalytic role in accelerating cures for cancer by enabling the pursuit of the most innovative and advanced cancer research and by facilitating collaborations between science and business.
The Prize for young investigators provides early-stage funding opportunities to New York scientists with innovative ideas in cancer research. The program surrounding the Prize is a catalyst in bridging the gap between the academic scientific community and the business community.
SWARNALI ACHARYYA, PHD
ADRIENNE BOIRE, MD, PHD
YAEL DAVID, PHD
MATTHEW GREENBLATT, MD, PHD
LIAM HOLT, PHD
ALEX KENTSIS, MD, PHD
DANIEL MUCIDA, PHD
EUREKALERT / COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY — Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a deadly cancer, killing patients within a year. CSHL Professor Christopher Vakoc and his former postdoc Timothy Somerville discovered how pancreatic cells lose their identity, acquire a deadly new identity, and recruit nearby cells to help them grow, promote inflammation, and invade nearby tissues. This understanding could lead to new therapies similar to ones developed for other cancers.
Vakoc says, “We think part of the reason why these tumors are so aggressive is that they exploit normal cells. The normal cells that are in the vicinity of these tumors, are actually co-conspirators in this disease, and are being co-opted to kind of create a community of cells that are kind of teaming up with one another to drive this aggressive cancer to expand and metastasize. Ultimately, we think we sort of learned why this tumor is so aggressive through understanding these two mechanisms.”
The Prix Galien recognizes outstanding innovation to improve the human condition by means of biomedical research. It is considered the industry’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize, the highest accolade for biomedical research and development. The annual Galien Forum is a meeting-of-the minds at which pressing issues are debated by front-runners in industry, academia and government. This is a special opportunity for recipients of the Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research to spend time with such leaders.
Pershing Square Sohn Prize winners, Scientific Review Council members, and guests which included individuals from philanthropy, academia, industry, and business attended this year’s Forum at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in New York City. The event featured talks by executives from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical industries, as well as top academics and government representatives. Following the Forum, select guests were invited to attend the Prix Galien Awards Ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History.
Bill Ackman, Co-Founder. The Pershing Square Foundation