AACR Team Science Award: Past Recipients

The AACR Team Science Award has been established to acknowledge and catalyze the growing importance of interdisciplinary teams to the understanding of cancer and/or the translation of research discoveries into clinical cancer applications.

Past recipients include:

2024: Team Womb, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC)
Emma Crosbie (Team Leader), James Bolton, D. Gareth Evans, Louise Gorman, Raymond McMahon, Rhona McVey, Nadira Narine, Katherine Payne, Durgesh N. Rana, Neil Ryan
For significant collaborative contributions to deciphering the molecular basis of Lynch syndrome-associated endometrial cancer. As an interdisciplinary team of academics and healthcare professionals from across the medical, oncology, pathology, health economics and behavioral science fields, the Team Womb Collective has demonstrated that 3% of endometrial cancers are caused by Lynch syndrome. The team has brilliantly demonstrated that immunohistochemistry-based approaches to detecting DNA mismatch repair protein deficiencies represents a cost-effective method for detecting Lynch syndrome, work that has led to fundamental changes to endometrial cancer prevention strategies and clinical practice guidelines.

2023: The African Caribbean Cancer Consortium Team (AC3)
Camille C.R. Ragin (Team Leader), Kellie Alleyne-Mike, Kimlin T. Ashing, Aviane Auguste, Rishika Banydeen, Raleigh Butler, Samuel Gathere, Sophia George, Natalie S. Greaves, Tamara Green, Darron A.C. Halliday, Maria D. Jackson, Patricia D. Jones, Rukia Kibaya, Evans Kiptanui, Anne C. R. Korir, Delroy M. Louden, Valerie Odero-Marah, JoAnn S. Oliver, Veronica Roach, Robin Roberts, Samuel T. Slewion, Charles G. Waihenya, Charnita Zeigler-Johnson
For their inspiring work to address inequities in cancer by furthering the study of viral, genetic, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors for cancer in populations of African descent. Over the years, the AC3 Team has coordinated several multi-national collaborations within the Caribbean, and between African, Caribbean and U.S. researchers. The AC3 Team generated two journal special issues and more than 150 collaborative peer-reviewed scientific publications. Through these collaborative publications, the cancer research output has steadily increased among the African and Caribbean investigators in this network.

2022: The Breast Cancer Research Team at The Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital
Alan Ashworth, Judith Bliss, Mitchell Dowsett, Clare M. Isacke, Stephen Johnston, Christopher Lord, Pascal Meier, Alistair Ring, Ian Smith, Nicholas C. Turner, Andrew Tutt and John Yarnold
For seminal translational discoveries in breast cancer research that have led to significant improvements in diagnosis and treatment. This team has led the discovery of new therapeutic approaches and the biomarkers that identify the populations of patients that gain most benefit from them. Examples being PARP inhibitors, that have changed how patients and breast cancers with BRCA1/2 mutations are tested and treated, as well as development of aromatase inhibitors in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer and predictive biomarkers that have informed how systemic treatments may be selected, deescalated or adapted following evidence of therapeutic response or resistance. This effective team has also lead work that has fundamentally changed international radiotherapy dose fractionation to reduce treatment duration and characterized molecular changes occurring in breast cancer that contribute to metastatic colonization, resistance to cell death and vulnerability to targeted therapies

2021: St. Baldrick’s Foundation-Stand Up 2 Cancer Pediatric Cancer Dream Team
Crystal L. Mackall (co-leader) and John M. Maris (co-leader)
Comprehensive listing of other project team members
For significant contributions to the pediatric cancer research community including the genesis of over 319 published manuscripts, submission of 44 patent applications, creation of a new clinical trials network, generation of over $118 million to support innovative research, and for contributing to the treatment of over 1,113 children on early phase clinical trials, with many demonstrating durable complete responses.

2020: The CANCER GENOME ATLAS (TCGA) Current Project Team
Jean C. Zenklusen (Team leader)
Comprehensive listing of other project team members
For their extensive collaborations to compiling the largest-ever set of tumor characterization data that has since opened new avenues of research to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various cancers.

2019: St. Jude Cancer Survivorship Research Team
Gregory Armstrong, Nickhill Bhakta, Tara Brinkman, Wassim Chemaitilly, Matthew Ehrhardt, Daniel Green, I-Chan Huang, Melissa M. Hudson (co-leader), Kevin Krull, Daniel Mulrooney, Kirsten Ness, Leslie L. Robison (co-leader), Deo Kumar Srivastava, Carmen Wilson, Yutaka Yasui, and Jinghui Zhang
For collective contributions to characterizing the magnitude and scope of morbidity and mortality in childhood cancer survivor populations and for leading the design of novel pediatric cancer treatment strategies, patient surveillance protocols, and health preserving interventions for long-term cancer survivors.

2018: Genomic Approaches to Preventing and Treating Asian-Prevalent Cancers Team
Patrick Tan (Team Leader); Steven G. Rozen, Sen-Yung Hsieh, Chiea Chuen Khor, Narong Khuntikeo, Soon Thye Lim, Choon Kiat Ong, Chawalit Pairojkul, See-Tong Pang, Tatsuhiro Shibata, Bin Tean Teh
For leveraging a diverse suite of complementary genomic technologies to illuminate underlying causes and key disrupted molecular pathways in Asian-prevalent cancers, with the aim of enhancing prevention and treatment.

2017: The International Liquid Biopsy Initiative Team
Luis A. Diaz (Team Leader), Nishant Agrawal, Chetan Bettegowda, Frank Diehl, Peter Gibbs, Stanley R. Hamilton, Ralph H. Hruban, Hartmut Juhl, Isaac Kinde, Kenneth Kinzler, Martin Nowak, Nickolas Papadopoulos, David Sidransky, Jeanne Tie, Victor E. Velculescu, Bert Vogelstein
For pioneering the concept of “liquid biopsies” for cancer, which has led to dramatic technological advancements in detecting cancer and has defined a new field in oncology.

2016: Women’s Health Initiative Team
Ross L. Prentice (Co-team Leader), Garnet L. Anderson (Co-team Leader), Bette Caan, Rowan T. Chlebowski, Rebecca D. Jackson, Charles Kooperberg, JoAnn E. Manson, Electra D. Paskett, Jacques E. Rossouw, Sally A. Shumaker, Marcia L. Stefanick, Cynthia Ann Thomson, Jean Wactawski-Wende
For its collective efforts that have broadened our understanding of the effects of hormone therapy and nutrition on cancer.

2015: Designing AR Inhibitors Team
Charles L. Sawyers (Team Leader), Michael E. Jung, Howard Scher
For their collective efforts in discovering and developing the novel anti-androgen drugs enzalutamide and ARN-509 for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

2014: Duke University/Johns Hopkins, and NCI Malignant Brain Tumor Team
Darell D. Bigner (Co-team Leader), Bert Vogelstein (Co-team Leader), Ira H. Pastan (Co-team Leader), Daniel Barboriak, Oren J. Becher, Thomas J. Cummings, Annick Desjardins, Luis A. Diaz, Allan H. Friedman, Henry S. Friedman, Matthias Gromeier, Sridharan Gururangan, Yiping He, Kenneth W. Kinzler, Chien-Tsun Kuan, Roger E. McLendon, Nickolas Papadopoulos, Katherine B. Peters, Tulika Ranjan, B. K. Ahmed Rasheed, John H. Sampson, Victor E. Velculescu, Gordana Vlahovic, Jason A. Watts, Hai Yan, Michael R. Zalutsky
For their findings having informed both the basic science and clinical communities in managing diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of brain tumors.

2013: Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer Sequencing Team in the Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at Johns Hopkins University
Ralph H. Hruban (Team Leader), N. Volkan Adsay, Peter J. Allen, Michael A. Choti, Luis A. Diaz, James R. Eshleman, Michael G. Goggins, Joseph M. Herman, Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, Scott E. Kern, Kenneth W. Kinzler, Alison P. Klein, David S. Klimstra, Anirban Maitra, Alan K. Meeker, Nickolas Papadopoulos, Victor E. Velculescu, Bert Vogelstein, Christopher L. Wolfgang, Laura DeLong Wood
In recognition of having discovered a new cancer pathway and new familial pancreatic cancer genes. They have defined the time course for the development of pancreatic neoplasia, and have shown that each of the four cystic tumors of the pancreas has a unique mutational profile. These sequencing efforts have revolutionized the understanding of the fundamental genetic changes that characterize pancreatic cancer. Importantly, the team’s work has immediate clinical implications.

2012: The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and Royal Marsden Hospital: Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit and Drug Development Units
Paul Workman (Team Leader). Bissan Al-Lazikani, Udai Banerji, Julian Blagg, Ian Collins, Johann De Bono, Sue Eccles, Michelle Garrett, Swen Hoelder, Keith Jones, Stan Kaye, Spiros Linardopoulos, Richard Marais, Flo Raynaud, Caroline Springer, Rob van Montfort
In recognition of their tremendous impact in the preclinical discovery and clinical development of innovative cancer therapeutics. The team, comprising experts in cancer biology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and medical oncology, was responsible with its academic and industrial partners for the discovery of 16 drug development candidates over the past six years. Six of these candidates entered clinical trials, including highly promising inhibitors of androgen biosynthesis (CYP17), heat shock protein 90, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, protein kinase B/AKT, and cyclin-dependent kinases. The team also carried out pioneering preclinical work on BRAF and its inhibitors and discovered CHK1 and dual Aurora/FLT3 inhibitors.

2011: Seattle HPV Research Team
Denise A. Galloway (Team Leader), Janet R. Daling, James Hughes, Nancy B. Kiviat, Laura Koutsky, Margaret M. Madeleine, Constance Mao, Barbara McKnight, Peggy L. Porter, Stephen M. Schwartz, Hisham K. Tamimi, Long-fu Xi
In recognition for taking an interdisciplinary approach to study the natural history of genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and the role that a subset of HPVs plays in the etiology of anogenital and oropharyngeal cancers. These studies have contributed to development of vaccines to prevent infection and cancer.

2010: Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Thoracic Oncology Research Team
Bruce E. Johnson (Team Leader), Michael J. Eck, Jeffery Engelman, Nathanael S. Gray, Daniel A. Haber, Pasi A. Jänne, Susumu Kobayashi, Eunice L. Kwak, Neal Lindeman, Thomas J. Lynch, Shyamala Maheswaran, Matthew L. Meyerson, Lecia V. Sequist, Jeffery Settleman, Daniel G. Tenen, Mehmet Toner, Kwok-Kin Wong
In recognition for demonstrating mutations of EGFR in lung cancer cell lines and patients are closely associated with dramatic responses to treatment with gefitinib or erlotinib. Their in vitro and clinical work identified two novel mechanisms of resistance to gefitinib and erlotinib and have developed therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance.

2009: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Team
Ching-Hon Pui (Team Leader), Dario Campana, Cheng Cheng, James R. Downing, William E. Evans, Melissa M. Hudson, Sima Jeha, Charles G. Mullighan, Susana C. Raimondi, Mary V. Relling, Raul C. Ribeiro
In recognition of their seminal laboratory discoveries that unraveled mechanisms of leukemogenesis and drug resistance; the identification of novel therapeutic targets; and the integration of biologic, genomic, and pharmacologic discoveries into comprehensive clinical protocols all leading to markedly improved cure rates of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

2008: University of California San Francisco, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Daniel Pinkel (Team Leader), Donna G. Albertson, Jane Fridyland, Joe W. Gray, Ajay Jain, Anne H. Kallioniemi, Olli-Pekka Kallioniemi, Robert Nordmeyer, Norma J. Nowak, Antoine Snijders, Damir Sudar, Frederick M. Waldmann
In recognition of a team of clinicians, physicists, biochemists, statisticians, computer scientists and engineers at the University of California San Francisco, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Roswell Park Cancer Institute for the conception, technical implementation, dissemination and pioneering applications of comparative genomic hybridization or CGH, and array CGHin.

2007: University of Michigan-Brigham and Women’s Hospital Team
Arul M. Chinnaiyan (Team Leader), Xuhong Cao, Saravana Dhanasekaran, Rohit Mehra, James Montie, Kenneth Pienta, Robin Rasor, Daniel Rhodes, Rajal Shah, Scott A. Tomlins, Sooryanarayana Varambally, and John Wei of the University of Michigan; and Francesca Demichelis, Charles Lee, Sven Perner, and Mark A. Rubin of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
In recognition of their landmark discovery of recurrent gene fusions in a majority of prostate cancers, which has profound clinical and biological implications for understanding prostate cancers, and their embodiment of team science through interdisciplinary and inter-institutional collaboration.