(Philadelphia, PA) - Earlier this month, Mark I. Greene MD, PhD, the John Eckman Professor of Medical Science at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, was awarded the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine. The award is given by the Robarts Research Institute, which is based in London, Ontario, Canada. The prize is awarded annually to scientists who have made significant contributions to a field within one of Robarts’ principal areas of research.

Greene was awarded for his pioneering work leading to the development of Herceptin, the breast cancer drug that defines a new class of targeted cancer therapies. For more than 25 years, his research has focused on the molecular processes that underlie the development of breast and other cancers. His early work described how the activation of a particular receptor complex on the surface of cells led to the formation of aggressive breast tumors. His group then discovered how to disable this cancer-causing receptor complex. This paved the way for his and other laboratories to develop targeted antibodies and small molecules to block these receptors and stop tumor growth, without harming adjacent non-cancerous cells, as with chemotherapy or radiation. Greene is currently exploring the potential of targeted therapies to prevent cancer recurrence and treat advanced malignancies.

“The Taylor Prize is one of the few major international prizes for basic science and I am delighted to have received it,” says Greene.

He received $10,000 (Cdn), a medallion, and a certificate of merit at the Institute’s 20th Anniversary Dinner.

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