Grand Rapids, Mich. (June 24, 2010) – Van Andel Institute Distinguished Scientific Fellow and Founding Research Director George Vande Woude, Ph.D., is the recipient of the ninth annual Daniel Nathans Memorial Award presented in a ceremony today at Van Andel Institute (VAI).
The award is conferred by the VAI Board of Scientific Advisors to recognize individuals whose contributions to the world of science are far reaching and significantly benefit public health.
“With a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, Dr. Vande Woude is recognized world-wide for his pioneering discovery of the MET oncogene” said VARI President and Director Dr. Jeffrey Trent. “He has created a remarkable legacy of scientific discovery that continues to inspire a new generation of cancer researchers.”
“This year’s Daniel Nathans Award is doubly significant for me and for everyone associated with Van Andel Institute,” said VAI Chairman and CEO David Van Andel. “It is bestowed in honor of, and is awarded to, two men who not only had a major impact on the world of science, but who also have left an indelible imprint on the Institute.”
“Dr. Vande Woude has done an extraordinary job of building our research programs from the ground up,” said Van Andel. “His vision and stellar reputation in the scientific community have helped to make Van Andel Institute and cancer research what they are today and we are grateful for his vital contributions.”
Dr. Vande Woude joins a list of past recipients and co-recipients that includes Nobel Prize-winner Harald zur Hausen, M.D., and other scientific luminaries including Richard D. Klausner, M.D., Lawrence H. Einhorn, M.D., Robert A. Weinberg, Ph.D., Brian Druker, M.D., Tony Hunter, Ph.D., Tony Pawson, Ph.D., Douglas Lowy, M.D., Dennis J. Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., Arthur D. Levinson, Ph.D., (on behalf of Genentech, Inc.), and current National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Vande Woude is widely recognized for the discovery and subsequent characterization of the MET oncogene. Over the years, his laboratory has implicated MET in a variety of cancers and has determined how MET causes cancerous cells to grow and spread. MET has become a critically important therapeutic target for cancer.
In addition to his seminal scientific contributions, Dr. Vande Woude’s career includes an outstanding legacy of leadership and mentorship in the field of cancer research. After receiving his Ph.D. degree from Rutgers University, Dr. Vande Woude served from 1964-1972 as a research virologist at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center. In 1972, he was recruited to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as the Head of the Human Tumor Studies Section in the Viral Biology Branch.
His later success as Director of the Advanced Bioscience Laboratories-Basic Research Program at the Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Director for the Division of Basic Sciences, and Special Advisor to the Director at the NCI paved the way for his selection to become Van Andel Institute’s Founding Research Director in 1999. Among his many awards and honors, Dr. Vande Woude is a member of the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. In 2006, he was named a fellow to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Later that year, more than 200 scientists from around the world gathered for a national cancer symposium at VAI to celebrate his scientific achievements. Dr. Daniel Nathans was a distinguished member of the scientific community and a founding member of VAI’s Board of Scientific Advisors who succumbed to cancer in 1999. In an experiment that would lead to a Nobel Prize in 1978, Dr. Nathans used a restriction enzyme to cut SV40 tumor virus DNA into precise fragments. This breakthrough is considered by many to serve as a precursor to the field of genomics, providing a gateway to the identification of gene function. VAI’s Daniel Nathans Memorial Award was established in perpetuity in 2000 to honor the memory of Dr. Nathans and recognizes individuals who emulate Dr. Nathans through their outstanding contributions to biomedical and cancer research.
About Van Andel Institute
Established by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996, Van Andel Institute (VAI) is an independent research and educational organization based in Grand Rapids, Mich., dedicated to preserving, enhancing and expanding the frontiers of medical science, and to achieving excellence in education by probing fundamental issues of education and the learning process. VARI, the research arm of VAI, is dedicated to probing the genetic, cellular and molecular origins of cancer, Parkinson’s and other diseases and working to translate those findings into effective therapies. This is accomplished through the work of over 200 researchers in 18 on-site laboratories and in collaborative partnerships that span the globe. www.vai.org
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