Lester M. and Irene C. Finkelstein chair in biology supports research into cancer’s roots
Pfeifer is known for research that explores chemical changes that take place in the DNA of tumor cells. Most notably, his efforts helped identify the molecular link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
The National Institutes of Health recently recognized Pfeifer by awarding him the largest of eight national grants as part of the Cancer Genome Atlas project, which aims to develop innovative technologies to detect and treat cancer. In the project’s pilot phase, Pfeifer and investigators at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University and other nationally recognized institutions will focus on genetic changes associated with lung, ovarian and brain cancers. Pfeifer will specifically look for changes in DNA linked to lung cancer.
“City of Hope’s Division of Biology has played a major role in the understanding of the causes of cancer,” said Michael A. Friedman, M.D., City of Hope’s president and chief executive officer. “Under Dr. Pfeifer’s leadership, and with the generous support of gifts like the Finkelstein endowment, the program can continue to excel in its discoveries, which can lead to the identification of new approaches for prevention and early detection.”
City of Hope’s Cancer Biology Program investigates the biological effects of solar ultraviolet radiation, cigarette smoke and certain food components as possible causes of human cancer, with a focus on human skin cancers, including melanoma, and on lung cancer caused by tobacco smoking.
photo: PAULA MYERSGerd Pfeifer
“Cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 1.5 million people this year,” said Pfeifer. “This funding will support our efforts to gain a more complete understanding of the basic genetic, molecular and biological mechanisms of cancer. This gift will also help accelerate our efforts so that improved diagnostic tools can be developed to address the disease in its earliest stages, when it is most treatable.”
The chair was established through a bequest from the Finkelsteins, who resided in Beverly Hills, Calif. “Irene Finkelstein was a longtime supporter of City of Hope and had a great deal of confidence in the work of the institution,” said Leonard Unger, a Finkelstein family spokesperson. “She wanted to help ensure it would continue, so that the causes of cancer may be identified and new therapies developed to better treat the disease.”