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Contact:
Aislinn Raedy, American Society of Hematology
202-776-0544

Scientists Rewarded for Major Contributions to the Treatment of Cancer and Heart Disease

(ATLANTA, December 13, 2005) – Today, at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), two distinguished scientists, John E. Dick, Ph.D., and Barry S. Coller, M.D., will receive the Society’s highest honors in recognition of their monumental contributions to translational research. Together, their breakthroughs help combat cancer and heart disease, leading causes of death in the United States.

Dr. Dick turned the focus of cancer treatment on its head when he was the first to prove the existence of a cancer stem cell, the only cell type of a cancer that is able to sustain long-term cancer growth. The cancer stem cell is unique because it can reproduce itself while continuously making all of the diverse cancer cells that comprise any tumor or leukemia. Long theorized, this new insight presented the possibility that cancer could be eradicated by stopping the malignant machinery of the cancer stem cell, instead of only targeting the cancer cells themselves. He also discovered that some leukemia stem cells can lay dormant, which is why chemotherapy – targeted exclusively at rapidly dividing cells – does not always work to rid the body of cancer. These stem cells become active again after a period of time and the cancer recurs.

Dr. Coller developed a potent weapon in the arsenal against heart attack. His prodigious research led to the development, in collaboration with scientists at Centocor, of the drug abciximab, a monoclonal antibody derivative that was the first rationally designed drug to inhibit blood clots by blocking platelet function. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1994 for use in association with coronary artery angioplasty to prevent and treat heart attacks. It is now routinely used throughout the world to improve the safety and efficacy of coronary artery angioplasty and stent placement in patients with cardiovascular disease.

“Dr. Dick and Dr. Coller exemplify the breadth of hematology research, and the effective translation of research on molecular mechanisms of disease to the effective treatment of patients,” said James N. George, M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and President of ASH.

Dr. Dick is the Canada Research Chair in Stem Cell Biology at the Toronto General Research Institute of the University Health Network and the University of Toronto and will receive the William Dameshek Prize, named for a past president of the Society and awarded for outstanding achievements in hematology. Dr. Coller, Head of the Laboratory of Blood and Vascular Biology at Rockefeller University in New York, will receive ASH’s Stratton Medal. The medal is named for the late Henry M. Stratton, a co-founder of the medical publishing house of Grune & Stratton, and awarded to individuals whose contributions to hematology are well recognized and have taken place over a period of several years.

Drs. Dick and Coller will be formally presented with their awards at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology during the Presidential Symposium (10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET) held in the Georgia World Congress Center.

The American Society of Hematology is the world's largest professional society concerned with the causes and treatment of blood disorders. Its mission is to further the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disorders affecting blood, bone marrow, and the immunologic, hemostatic, and vascular systems, by promoting research, clinical care, education, training, and advocacy in hematology.

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