The charity Susan G. Komen for the Cure, announced the recipients of the 2007 Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction, as Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D., professor, department of preventive medicine and the inaugural holder of the AFLAC, Inc. Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, and Joe W. Gray, Ph.D., director, division of life sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, Calif.

Bernstein: Pioneer in Linking Exercise, Breast Cancer Risk

Leslie Bernstein, Ph.D., pioneered research on the link between physical activity and breast cancer, which is now well established. This research provides an evidence base for one of the few recommendations that can be made for breast cancer risk reduction. In addition to her studies on physical activity, she has contributed to the study of body size, including weight gain and obesity, another area of inquiry that has yielded insights into breast cancer risk reduction for post-menopausal women.

As director of the Los Angeles Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Registry, Dr. Bernstein is a leader in efforts to understand patterns in breast cancer incidence, including the troubling rise in risk among new immigrants to California. This work is fundamental to efforts in addressing breast cancer disparities and in anticipating risk among Asian-American women. Dr. Bernstein has a long and distinguished history of leadership at the University of Southern California, where she has advanced opportunities for women in science while serving as a model for the next generation of research professionals.

Dr. Bernstein will receive the 2007 Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in the category of clinical research.

Gray: Developing Technology to Solve Challenging Biomedical Problems

Joe W. Gray, Ph.D., is recognised as a pioneer in the development of innovative technologies that enable researchers to pursue original avenues of inquiry into challenging biomedical problems. The sum of his impact, innovation and creativity over the course of his career are directly linked to translational research which many leading scientists acknowledge will lead to real improvements for people living with breast cancer.

He is credited with the development and implementation of many important technologies, including high-speed sorting; flow karyotyping; the first chromosome painting probes; development of interphase fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH); and the first demonstration using FISH showing ERBB2 amplification and BCR-ABL translocation, both of which are critically important to current patient management. His list of credits also includes brdU/DNA analysis of cell cycle progression; comparative genomic hybribidization (CGH); BAC End Sequencing (BES) and, more recently, nanotechnology.

Dr. Gray was an early adopter of technologies such as transcriptional profiling, high throughput analysis, SNP array CGH and molecular inversion probes. By integrating data received from these technologies, Dr. Gray has made significant advancements in developing methods that will lead to improved patient outcomes. Specifically, his work is leading to groundbreaking research in the determination of how to improve breast cancer detection and treatment. His efforts are helping to increase the translation of basic research to the clinic. Dr. Gray is a staunch proponent of collaborative, or "team" science. He supports an active academic-industrial collaborative enterprise to encourage industry to invest in, develop and implement technologies needed to combat breast cancer.

SOURCE Susan G. Komen for the Cure