Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Cancer Center David Tuveson is now leading the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). He was inaugurated as president on April 12 during the virtual 2021 AACR Annual Business Meeting. Tuveson has dedicated his career to identifying new ways to diagnose and treat pancreatic cancer, a highly lethal disease. His team pioneered the use of “organoids” in pancreatic research, growing tiny balls of cells from patient tumors. These organoids allow scientists to study the behavior of an individual’s specific cancer cells and personalize drug therapies.
As AACR president, Tuveson will bring his distinguished scientific and clinical expertise in cancer to one of the oldest and largest cancer research organizations in the world. With over 48,000 members worldwide, AACR fosters research into preventing and curing all cancers. The organization provides funding, education, training, and communication programs.
Tuveson has many other roles. He runs a lab as the Roy J. Zuckerberg Professor of Cancer Research at CSHL, is Chief Scientist of the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, serves on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute, and is a medical staff affiliate at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Written by: Luis Sandoval, Communications Specialist | sandova@cshl.edu | 516-367-6826