The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) presented Carol L. Prives, PhD, FAACR, with the 2021 AACR–G.H.A. Clowes Award for Outstanding Basic Cancer Research during the virtual AACR Annual Meeting 2021.
Dr. Prives, the Da Costa Professor of Biology in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Herbert and Florence Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics at Columbia University, is being recognized for discovering that p53 is a DNA sequence–specific transcriptional activator and, when mutated, possesses novel oncogenic functions. She is also being honored for her work involving the identification of stress signal–induced regulatory mechanisms of p53 and Mdm2 and for revealing novel pathways by which p53 functions to suppress cell growth and promote cell death.
Carol L. Prives, PhD, FAACR
The AACR–G.H.A. Clowes Award for Outstanding Basic Cancer Research was established between the AACR and Eli Lilly and Company in 1961 to honor Dr. G.H.A. Clowes, who was a founding member of the AACR and Research Director at Eli Lilly. The award is intended to recognize an individual who has made outstanding recent accomplishments in basic cancer research.
Groundbreaking Work
Throughout her career, Dr. Prives has made groundbreaking discoveries related to the p53 tumor suppressor protein and its role in cancer etiology and development. Among other key findings, her research has provided important insights into how p53 regulates numerous cellular outcomes such as cell-cycle, senescence, apoptosis, and metabolic processes; clarified the mechanism by which p53 is stabilized after DNA damage, which leads to upregulation of p53-controlled genes; and revealed how tumor-derived mutant forms of p53 function to promote malignant cell transformation.
“Dr. Prives’ innovative, pioneering work in characterizing the behavior and function of the p53 tumor suppressor gene has contributed markedly to providing a solid foundation for a whole field of molecular cancer research,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer of the AACR.
Dr. Prives’ achievements have earned her many awards and accolades, including the Outstanding Investigator Award (2018), the Paul Janssen Prize in Biotechnology and Medicine (2010), and the National Cancer Institute Rosalind E. Franklin Award for Women in Science (2009).
