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Lewis Cantley, Ph.D. Meyer Director Professor of Cancer Biology in Medicine An organization dedicated to advancing innovative research for the most difficult-to-treat cancers, will honor Meyer director Lewis Cantley, Ph.D. with one of its prestigious Awards of Excellence.

The Hope Funds for Cancer Research Award of Excellence honors those who have made outstanding contributions to basic, clinical, and medical research in cancer or conducted prominent advocacy and philanthropy on behalf of cancer research. Honorees were suggested through a formal nomination process and selected based on their contributions to the field of cancer research and treatment, their integrity and character, and how their peers regard them.

"The 2016 Honorees epitomize the mission of Hope Funds for Cancer Research; their contributions range from fundamental scientific discoveries that identify the targets to fight, to developing the agents that address the targets, to raising awareness and funding vital research needed to cure these elusive diseases known as cancers," stated Dr. Malcolm A.S. Moore, Chairman of the Board of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research. 

Other honorees include:

• Joan Brugge, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, for Basic Science
• John Mendelsohn, M.D., of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, for Clinical Development
• Daisy M. Soros, chair of the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans, for Philanthropy

The 2016 awards will be presented on June 11, 2016, at a white-tie dinner held in the legendary Newport, Rhode Island mansion, The Elms. The annual dinner is a focal point for the Hope Funds' charitable mission and brings together the organization's supporters and constituencies to recognize and honor distinguished luminaries in oncology. Proceeds from the event will fund postdoctoral fellowships in cancer research. 

Hope Funds for Cancer Research was formed in 2006 to establish a funding vehicle that would take a rational scientific, medical, and investment approach to making grants for the most innovative and promising research efforts to address the most difficult-to-treat cancers, including pancreatic, lung, liver, sarcomas, esophageal, brain, gastric, renal and ovarian cancers, as well as rare leukemias, lymphomas and MDS. These cancers are insidiously aggressive illnesses that kill most of their victims within months, even with aggressive chemotherapy. The Trustees of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research believe that funding young, innovative researchers will lead to breakthroughs in these areas and increase life expectancy for those with these types of cancers.