Mitchell Dowsett Receives 2007 William L. Mcguire Award Recipient For Excellence In Breast Cancer Research

Main Category: Breast Cancer
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 17 Dec 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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Mitchell Dowsett, Ph.D., a leading international researcher on the endocrinology of breast cancer and the use of biomarkers to measure response to treatment, received the 2007 William L. McGuire Award at the 30th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Supported by GlaxoSmithKline Oncology (GSK) since its inception in 1992, this award acknowledges distinguished researchers for their significant contributions in the field of breast cancer.

"Mitch Dowsett is one of the real giants of research on hormonal treatment in breast cancer and a leader in translational research," said C. Kent Osborne, MD, Co-Director of the SABCS and Director, Baylor College of Medicine Cancer Center. "He is extremely deserving of this award which pays tribute to William McGuire, one of the legends in our field, and recognizes Professor Dowsett's important achievements in advancing our knowledge of breast cancer."

Widely recognized for his research on aromatase inhibitors and biomarkers of response and resistance to treatment, Mitchell Dowsett, Ph.D., is Head of the Academic Department of Biochemistry at The Royal Marsden Hospital, Professor of Biochemical Endocrinology at the Institute of Cancer Research and Professor of Translational Research in the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, London.

The award was established to commemorate the significant contributions of Dr. William L. McGuire to oncology medicine. Dr. McGuire's research played a major role in introducing estrogen receptor assays on breast tumor tissue as a guide to treatment decisions for women with breast cancer. These tests are now widely used around the world.

Dr. McGuire, along with Dr. Charles A. Coltman, founded the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in 1977. The symposium is the world's leading breast cancer research meeting and is attended by more than 8,000 doctors from more than 80 different countries.

"GSK is honored to support this award, now in its sixteenth year, and we congratulate Mitchell Dowsett, a dedicated researcher whose tireless efforts have made a tangible impact on the lives of breast cancer patients everywhere," said Paolo Paoletti, MD, Senior Vice President of the Oncology Medicine Development Center at GlaxoSmithKline. "It is important that we pay tribute to accomplished scientists like Professor Dowsett who are leaders in the field and role models for future researchers."

About the William L. McGuire Award and Memorial Lectureship

Recipients of the William L. McGuire Award and Memorial Lectureship are selected by the SABCS Executive Committee from persons nominated by distinguished researchers in the field. Recipients are respected figures in the international scientific/medical communities and have made significant contributions to the field of breast cancer research. The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium provides a forum for McGuire Award recipients to present a topic of high current interest related to the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer or to the study of its underlying mechanisms. The award is supported by an annual grant from GlaxoSmithKline. Past recipients include:

1992 - Dr. Marc Lippman
1993 - Dr. Bernard Fisher
1994 - Dr. Craig Jordan
1995 - Dr. Bert O'Malley
1996 - Dr. Benita S. Katzenellenbogen
1997 - Kathryn Bloch Horwitz
1998 - Dr. C. Kent Osborne
1999 - Dr. Charles A. Coltman, Jr.
2000 - Dr. Trevor J. Powles
2001 - Dr. Nancy E. Davidson
2002 - Dr. Michael Baum
2003 - Dr. Umberto Veronesi
2004 - Amy S. Langer
2005 - Dr. Dennis J. Slamon
2006 - Dr. Richard J. Santen

About the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

The 30th Annual Charles A. Coltman, Jr. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held December 13-16, 2007 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Center, will attract more than 8,000 health care professionals from around the world to focus on breast cancer and new efforts in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The symposium is the leading breast cancer conference in the world and is sponsored by the San Antonio Cancer Institute (Cancer Therapy & Research Center and University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio) and Baylor College of Medicine.

About GlaxoSmithKline

GlaxoSmithKline - one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies - is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better, and live longer. For company information, visit GlaxoSmithKline at http://www.gsk.com.

GSK Oncology is dedicated to producing innovations in cancer that will make profound differences in the lives of patients. Through GSK's "bench to bedside" approach, we are transforming the way treatments are discovered and developed, resulting in one of the most robust pipelines in the oncology sector. Our worldwide research in oncology includes partnerships with more than 160 cancer centers. GSK is developing a new generation of patient focused cancer treatments in prevention, supportive care, chemotherapy and targeted therapies.

GlaxoSmithKline