GRAND RAPIDS – Van Andel Institute honored Dennis J. Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., and biotechnology company Genentech, with the 2007 Daniel Nathans Memorial Award for their roles in the development of the breast cancer drug Herceptin.

Slamon and Arthur D. Levinson, Ph.D., who accepted the award on behalf of Genentech, presented lectures to the public this week at the VAI. Herceptin has been used to treat more than 420,000 women with breast cancer.

“Herceptin is the first example of a therapeutic targeted to a cancer gene, representing a new paradigm for cancer therapy,” said VARI Director George Vande Woude, Ph.D. “This principle was first applied to breast cancer, but can now be used for many different targets and, potentially, for all cancers.”

Herceptin targets a gene associated with a faster spreading and more lethal form of breast cancer. According to the American Association for Cancer Research, extra copies of this gene are found in 20 to 25 percent of breast cancers and approximately 40,000 women are diagnosed each year in the United States with this type of breast cancer.

At the University of California, Los Angeles, Slamon, with Axel Ullrich, Ph.D., from Genentech, identified the gene as a cancer target in breast cancer. Genentech created a monoclonal antibody called trastuzumab, later marketed as Herceptin, which targets the protein that results from the gene while leaving normal cells unaffected. Slamon worked with Genentech on clinical trials proving the effectiveness of Herceptin. Slamon�??s role in the development of this drug has earned him a number of research awards, including the 2007 Gairdner International Award and a 2004 American Cancer Society Medal of Honor.

The Daniel Nathans Memorial Award honors the memory of Dr. Daniel Nathans, a distinguished member of the scientific community and a founding member of Van Andel Institute�??s Board of Scientific Advisors who succumbed to cancer in 1999. The award recognizes individuals who emulate Dr. Nathans through their outstanding contributions to biomedical and cancer research. One of last year�??s awardees, Dr. Harald zur Hausen, was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2008.

For more information, click on VAI.Org

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