MENURogel Cancer Center Member Receives AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research
Media contact: Ian Demsky, 734-764-2220
The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and the American Association for Cancer Research, an SABCS cosponsor, will honor two renowned researchers for their work in breast cancer at this year’s event — including one scientist from the University of Michigan.
Celina Kleer, M.D., will receive the 2019 AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, supported by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Kleer, the Harold A. Oberman Collegiate Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School and member of the Rogel Cancer Center, is being recognized for her work in generating key insights into the development of aggressive forms of breast cancer and for advancing the characterization of clinical biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for these cancer subsets.
Specifically, her groundbreaking research led to both the initial demonstration of EZH2 overexpression in metastatic hormone receptor negative breast cancer and the elucidation of molecular determinants of metaplastic breast carcinoma. Kleer will present a lecture at 11 a.m., Friday, Dec. 13, titled “Novel non-canonical functions of EZH2 in triple negative breast cancer.”
The other awardee was Myles Brown, M.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. He is the recipient of the 2019 AACR Distinguished Lectureship in Breast Cancer Research award, supported by Aflac Inc.
“These researchers have made real progress in understanding mechanisms of breast cancer progression, which has informed novel therapies against this disease. They truly deserve these awards for their efforts in helping countless patients with breast cancer,” SABCS codirector Carlos Arteaga, M.D., said in a news release. “The hard work and dedication of Drs. Brown and Kleer have helped to shape our fundamental understanding of the complex interactions of hormones and proteins in breast cancer. Their lectures are among the many reasons why SABCS continues to be a leading global voice in breast cancer research.”
The 2019 symposium will be held Dec. 10-14 at the Henry B. González Convention Center, San Antonio.