Geneticist Recognized for ‘Lifetime Achievement’

• Originally published in Forward, Spring 2012

  

  During her more than 50-year career at Fox Chase, geneticist Beatrice Mintz has helped to unravel the origins of cancer by asking what she calls “big questions.” These questions have led her to make great strides in cancer research—including through the development of chimeric and trans­genic mouse models that enable scientists to identify links between development and cancer and explore the biology of cancer over the lifetime of an animal.

  Her achievements earned her the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research in April. The award was established in 2004 to honor individuals who have made significant fundamental contributions to cancer research, either through a single discovery or a body of work, and demonstrated a lifetime commitment to progress against cancer.

  “Dr. Mintz’s scientific insights have led to new directions in developmental cancer biology and genetics,” said Margaret Foti, chief executive officer of the AACR. “Her groundbreaking work has helped shape our understanding of stem cell behavior and the tumor microenvironment in cancer and has provided scientists with important tools to study the many types of cancer.”