2010 William B. Coley Award Winners to be Honored at CRI’s 24th Annual Awards Dinner in NYC

The Cancer Research Institute, Inc. (CRI), a nonprofit organization that supports and coordinates laboratory and clinical efforts to harness the disease-fighting power of the immune system to treat, control, and prevent cancer, announced today the winners of the 2010 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology.  CRI bestows this annual award upon one or more scientists whose discoveries in the fields of immunology or tumor immunology contribute to the advancement of immune system-based therapies for cancer.  This year, the Coley Award goes jointly to three outstanding scientists for their fundamental contributions to our understanding of the prognostic significance of infiltrating T lymphocytes in cancer patients.

Haruo Ohtani, MD, director of the Department of Pathology at Mito Medical Center, National Hospital Organization, in Ibaraki, Japan, receives the 2010 William B. Coley Award for his pioneering studies of the host-tumor microenvironment in patients with colorectal cancer, which provided the first evidence for tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as significant prognostic factors in human cancer.

Wolf Hervé Fridman, MD, PhD, professor of immunology and vice dean for research, Medical School Paris Descartes; director of the Cordeliers Research Centre, Paris; and head of the Service of Immunology, Hospital European Georges Pompidou, Paris, France, along with colleague Jérôme Galon, PhD, research director for INSERM and head of the Integrative Cancer Immunology Laboratory at Cordeliers Research Center in Paris, jointly receive the 2010 William B. Coley Award for their groundbreaking studies demonstrating that the “immune contexture”—including the functionality, location, and density of immune infiltrate in colorectal tumors—is a major prognostic factor for human cancers.

The Cancer Research Institute established the William B. Coley Award in 1975 in honor of Dr. William B. Coley, a pioneer of cancer immunotherapy, whose daughter, Helen Coley Nauts, founded the Institute in 1953 with the mission to advance immune system-based cancer treatments like those her father developed in the late 1800s.

Presenting the award to Dr. Ohtani will be Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, professor and chairman, Department of Gynecologic Oncology; co-leader of the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy CCSG Program; and director, Center for Immunotherapy at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. Dr Odunsi is also a member of the Coordinating and Review Committee of the Cancer Vaccine Collaborative (CVC), a joint program of the Cancer Research Institute and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, and head of the CVC’s North American efforts.  Drs. Fridman and Galon will receive their award from Robert D. Schreiber, PhD, alumni endowed professor of pathology and immunology and professor of molecular microbiology in the Immunology Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. Dr. Schreiber is also an associate director of the Cancer Research Institute Scientific Advisory Council and chairs the review committees for CRI’s Investigator Award Program and Predoctoral Emphasis Pathways in Tumor Immunology Training Program.

“The annual awards dinner provides an elegant platform for our organization to recognize the important contributions of scientists and industry leaders to the advancement of immunology, tumor immunology, and cancer therapies, all of which provide the underpinnings for the ultimate development of new, immune-based approaches to the treatment, control, and prevention of cancer,” said Cancer Research Institute executive director Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, PhD

Honorees will receive their awards at a black-tie gala, which will take place on the evening of June 16, 2010, at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.  MSNBC anchor and correspondent Alex Witt will emcee the event.

The dinner will also include the presentation of the 2010 Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research.  This year’s Grace Awards will go to Andrew Witty, chief executive of GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s largest research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, and renowned American fashion designer Michael Kors.  Award winning actress and three-time Academy Award nominee Joan Allen will present the award to Mr. Kors. Mr. Witty will receive his award from CRI trustee Paul J. Sekhri, head, Biotech Ops Group, TPG Biotechnology, TPG Growth LLC, a San Francisco-based middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG, the global private investment firm.

Media Contact
Brian Brewer, Director of Communications, Cancer Research Institute
(212) 688-7515, ext. 242 or [email protected]

Event Contact
Lynne Harmer, Director of Special Events, Cancer Research Institute
(212) 688-7515, ext. 238 or [email protected]

About the William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic and Tumor Immunology
This award was established in 1975 in honor of Dr. William B. Coley, a pioneer of cancer immunotherapy, whose daughter Helen Coley Nauts (1907-2001) founded the Cancer Research Institute.  Award winners are nominated by CRI’s Scientific Advisory Council, the Academy of Cancer Immunology, and former Coley Award winners, including: Cornelis J.M. Melief (2009), Leiden University Medical Center; Klaus Rajewsky and Frederick W. Alt (co-recipients, 2009), Immune Disease Institute; Michael J. Bevan (2008), HHMI, University of Washington; Jeffrey V. Ravetch (2007), The Rockefeller University; Ian H. Frazer (2006), University of Queensland; James P. Allison (2005), The Ludwig Center/Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and Robert D. Schreiber (2001), Washington University School of Medicine.  Each winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and a gold medallion designed by Van Cleef & Arpels.

About the Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research
This award, established in 1995, recognizes the contributions of dedicated laypersons whose leadership has had a significant impact on cancer research.  The award is named in memory of the late Oliver R. Grace, founding chairman of the Cancer Research Institute, whose vision, wisdom, and generosity benefited the Institute for nearly 40 years.  Former Grace Award winners include, among other champions of cancer research: Fred Hassan (2009), chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough Corporation; Wade F.B. Thompson (2007), chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Thor Industries; Julian H. Robertson Jr. (2006), chairman, Tiger Management LLC; Katie Couric (2002), anchor of CBS Evening News; and Andrea Jung (2001), chief executive officer, Avon Products, Inc.  Each Grace Award winner will receive a gold medallion designed by Van Cleef & Arpels.