Scientists whose discoveries have led to fundamental advances in the science and treatment of cancer are the recipients of two prestigious international prizes offered by the Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

The Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research and Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research are among the largest awards in the world offered to cancer researchers from a professional society of their peers. Honorees for each prize receive an unrestricted cash award of $100,000 and present a scientific lecture at the AACR Annual Meeting, held this year from April 12-16 in San Diego, California.

This year's winner of the Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research is Arnold J. Levine, Ph.D., professor at the Institute for Advanced Study, School of Natural Sciences, and professor of pediatrics and biochemistry at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Levine is recognized for his work in establishing p53 as a tumor suppressor, one of the body's most important defenses against many forms of cancer, and for his extraordinary contributions to our understanding of the molecular basis of cancer.

"Arnold Levine's seminal contributions to the discovery of p53 as a tumor suppressor gene and his work in identifying its anti-cancer mechanisms have profoundly influenced the way scientists study cancer," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), AACR's chief executive officer. "It is our great pleasure to honor this world leader in p53 research for his scientific accomplishments and his continued efforts to educate and mentor younger researchers interested in furthering this important area of molecular cancer research."

This year's Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research is awarded to John Mendelsohn, M.D., president and professor of cancer medicine at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, for his pioneering translational research that led to the discovery of a new class of agents to treat cancer and for his landmark contributions to our growing knowledge of targeted cancer therapies.

"The translation of John Mendelsohn's research from the laboratory into clinical practice created a new paradigm for treating cancer, providing novel treatment options and life-saving alternatives to many patients living with cancer," Foti said. "His dedication and leadership deserve the highest recognition and we are proud to honor John for his revolutionary work.

The Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research

For nearly three decades, Levine has been at the forefront of molecular cancer research and is a leading authority on the molecular basis of cancer. Best known for his co-discovery of the p53 tumor suppressor protein, Levine has led the way in uncovering the actions of p53, its biological significance and its mode of regulation in normal and cancer cells. Based on the findings of Levine and his colleagues, the study of p53 has become a promising focus of basic cancer research. This work and the collaboration of many researchers has led to the realization that p53 is a pivotal tumor suppressor gene which is mutated or otherwise inactivated in a majority of human cancer cases, a fact that underscores its critical importance in preventing the development of cancer.

Furthering his study of p53, Levine discovered another piece of the puzzle with the identification of the Mdm2 oncoprotein as a potent inhibitor of p53. The milestone discovery of the Mdm2-p53 interaction has become, in recent years, a target for drug development studies across industry and academia. These efforts have yielded several promising small molecule candidate drugs that activate p53 in tumor cells through disruption of th