A leading innovator in applying techniques of genetic engineering to develop mouse models of disease, Dr. Jacks has generated a series of novel strains with germline mutations in several genes implicated in human cancer. These include mice with mutations in K-ras and p53, two of the most frequently mutant genes in human cancer. This work has led to the development of mouse models of over nine types of cancer, some of which have had few previously pre-clinical models.
Using various molecular profiling methods, these mouse models are being constantly validated for the extent to which they mimic the underlying mechanisms in human tumor progression and several promising new therapeutic strategies are being identified using these systems. The Jacks Laboratory is also well known for developing new technology for studying cancer biology in vivo, including methods to examine tumor immune interactions as well as increasingly sophisticated genetic manipulation of cancer cells.
Career Highlights
2020 AACR-Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship
2012 Elected Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
2011-present Chairman, National Cancer Advisory Board
2009-2010 President, AACR
2009 Elected Member, National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
2009 Elected Member, Institute of Medicine
2007- present Director, David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2005 Simon M. Shubitz Award, University of Chicago Cancer Research Center
2005 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research
2002 Chestnut Hill Award for Excellence in Cancer Research
2001-2004 Board of Directors, AACR
2000 David H. Koch Professor of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1998 Amgen Award, American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
1997 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research
1996 Board of Scientific Advisors, National Cancer Institute
1988 PhD, University of California, San Francisco