PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Daniel F. Hayes, MD, a University of Michigan oncologist and cancer researcher whose work in clinical and laboratory studies has advanced the management of breast cancer worldwide, was named today as the first winner of the annual Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award. Supported by a multi-year grant of more than $1.3 million from GlaxoSmithKline Oncology (GSK), the award will be presented by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and The ASCO Foundation at the Breast Cancer Symposium in San Francisco on September 7, 2007.
"GSK is honored to sponsor this award which is being presented to Dr. Daniel Hayes, a dedicated researcher who has been at the forefront of individualized breast cancer therapy," said Paolo Paoletti, MD, Senior Vice President of the Oncology Medicine Development Center at GlaxoSmithKline. "His contributions to the field of oncology have had an important impact on our knowledge about monitoring and managing the disease, and his findings have translated into real-world benefits for patients."
Dr. Hayes, who is Clinical Director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, is a widely recognized expert in breast cancer clinical research, particularly with new hormonal and chemotherapeutic treatments. He and his colleagues published the first reports on the CA15-3 blood test, currently used worldwide to evaluate breast cancer patients. Dr. Hayes' more recent research focuses on pharmacogenomics, and understanding the key role genes play in chemotherapy treatment.
The new award and an accompanying fellowship were created in honor of one of the giants of modern-day medical oncology, Dr. Gianni Bonadonna, of the Instituto Nazionale Tumori in Milan, Italy. Dr. Bonadonna was responsible for ground-breaking research in adjuvant treatment of breast cancer and the development of the combination chemotherapy regimen that remains the gold-standard treatment for Hodgkin's disease today.
"Gianni Bonadonna's work revolutionized the management and treatment of breast cancer," said Gabriel Hortobagyi, MD, immediate past president of ASCO. "Dr. Daniel Hayes is receiving a well-deserved recognition of his impressive research achievements and, I believe that Dr. Hayes, like Bonadonna, will continue to be an outstanding role model for younger oncology researchers."
About the Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Fellowship
'The Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Award and Lecture', a $10,000 award, will be presented annually to a researcher of merit in the field of breast cancer. The award is accompanied by a fellowship grant, presented to an early-career breast cancer researcher who will work in the lab at the recipient's institution. 'The Gianni Bonadonna Breast Cancer Research Fellowship' will consist of a one-year grant of $50,000 in support of the fellow's research. The fellow will be announced at a later date.
In 1973, Dr. Bonadonna designed and conducted the first randomized study to test the activity of the CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil) combination chemotherapy as an adjuvant treatment in node-positive operable breast cancer. Adjuvant CMF proved to be effective in significantly reducing the risk of disease recurrence and death over a prolonged period of time (30 years).
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline -- one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies -- is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better, and live longer. For company information, visit GlaxoSmithKline at www.gsk.com.
GSK in Oncology
GSK Oncology is dedicated to producing innovations in cancer that will make profound differences in the lives of patients. Through GSK's "bench to bedside" approach, we are transforming the way treatments are discovered and developed, resulting in one of the most robust pipelines in the oncology sector. Our worldwide research in oncology includes partnerships with more than 160 cancer centers. GSK is developing a new generation of patient focused cancer treatments in prevention, supportive care, chemotherapy and targeted therapies.
GlaxoSmithKlineCONTACT: Robert Sincovich, +1-610-917-6619, robert.j.sincovich@gsk.com
Web site: http://www.gsk.com/
