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- Posted Monday October 22, 2018
TGen Distinguished Professor to receive award for advances in treating pancreatic cancer
Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff is honored for ‘tremendous improvements in survival for patients’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Oct. 22, 2018 — Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff, Distinguished Professor and Physician-In-Chief of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of the City of Hope, is one of five leading researchers who will receive a Luminary Award in GI Cancers from OncLive and The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers.
“The Luminary Awards serves to acknowledge the lifetime contributions made by truly special, dedicated, visionary individuals. Our current successes in GI cancer would not be possible without the work of these remarkable people,” said Dr. John Marshall, M.D., Director of The Ruesch Center, which is part of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center focused on personalized patient care and fighting gastrointestinal cancers.
Robert Goldsmith, Vice President of OncLive, added, “Each of these winners helps propel the field of GI cancer through their dedicated work and passion for improving the lives of those impacted by gastrointestinal cancer.”
In making the announcement of the five honorees, OncLive and The Ruesch Center said, “(Dr.) Von Hoff and colleagues’ discoveries have led to tremendous improvements in survival for patients with pancreatic cancer. Currently, he and his colleagues are concentrating on the development of molecularly targeted therapies for patients with pancreatic and other advanced cancers.”
Dr. Von Hoff and his colleagues have conducted early clinical investigations of many new cancer agents, including: gemcitabine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, topotecan, irinotecan, fludarabine, mitoxantrone, dexrazoxane, nab-paclitaxel, vismodegib, and multiple others. These treatments are helping many patients with breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, leukemia, advanced basal cell and pancreatic cancers.
Dr. Von Hoff also is Senior Consultant-Clinical Investigator at City of Hope, Chief Scientific Officer at HonorHealth and US Oncology, a Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic, and a past director of the University of Arizona's Arizona Cancer Center. He received the 2010 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) for his outstanding contributions to cancer research leading to significant improvement in patient care. He is a Fellow and past President of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the world's largest cancer research organization; a Fellow of the American College of Physicians; and a Fellow and past board member of ASCO.
Earlier this month, Dr. Von Hoff received the 2018 Arizona Bioscience Pioneer Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Arizona Bioindustry Association (AZBio).
"It is an honor to be recognized along with other fine physicians and researchers devoted to improving the lives of GI patients," said Dr. Von Hoff, who currently leads an international Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team, developing new treatments for this disease. It is one of four SU2C Dream Team grants awarded to TGen.
"Dr. Von Hoff is one of the world's most accomplished physician-researchers in pancreatic and other cancers," said Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen President and Research Director. " Without question, his contributions and commitment to patient care are extraordinary."
The other four Luminary Awards in GI Cancers awardees are: Dr. John S. Macdonald, senior advisor for Criterium Inc.; Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance; Dr. Richard L. Schilsky, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of ASCO; and Dr. Paul H. Sugarbaker, Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Malignancies at Medstar Washington Hospital Center.
The Luminary Awards in GI Cancers reception will be held Nov. 29, 2018, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.
About TGen, an affiliate of City of Hope
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is affiliated with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and cancer and diabetes treatment center: www.cityofhope.org. This precision medicine affiliation enables both institutes to complement each other in research and patient care, with City of Hope providing a significant clinical setting to advance scientific discoveries made by TGen. TGen is focused on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases, through cutting edge translational research (the process of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial contribution to help our patients through efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. For more information, visit: www.tgen.org. Follow TGen on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter @TGen.
Media Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
