Alexandros Tzatsos, MD, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy and cell biology at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS), was recently honored with the 2018 Elaine H. Snyder Cancer Research Award during an event on Dec. 10.
Each year, the SMHS Committee on Research selects a cancer researcher who has made the most outstanding contributions during the past year. The committee defines cancer research as including not only laboratory studies, but also clinical, behavioral, and population-based research that which seeks to find new and better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
“Alex is the perfect candidate for the Elaine H. Snyder Cancer Research Award,” said Sally Moody, PhD, chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at SMHS, “because he fulfills all three criteria the committee set for this award.”
Tzatsos’ research is at the cutting edge of understanding cancer progression. His studies are designed specifically to apply their findings to treating human cancers. Tzatsos also has been an important contributor to the GW Cancer Center since its formation.
“This is an honor to be recognized for the work we have done over the last five years here at GW,” said Tzatsos before delivering his lecture, titled “Targeted Therapies for Pancreatic Cancer.”
“Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States,” he said. “It’s important that we understand how it is generated and maintained.”
Over the course of the lecture, Tzatsos presented the work his lab is currently doing to discover the epigenetic alterations that drive progression resulting from mutations in chromatin modifying enzymes in pancreatic cancer.
To learn more about Tzatsos’ work on pancreatic cancer, visit the Tzatsos Lab.
