Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D., To Direct The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center

New York, NY (May 3, 2005) – One of the world’s leading cancer geneticists and lymphoma researchers, Riccardo Dalla-Favera, M.D., has been named director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC) at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia. The HICCC is one of only three NIH-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in New York State.

A Columbia faculty member for more than 15 years, Dr. Dalla-Favera helped found and has led the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University since 1999. From 1992 to 1998 he served as the Deputy Director of the HICCC. He is the Percy and Joanne Uris Professor of Pathology and Professor of Genetics & Development at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The author of more than 250 publications, Dr. Dalla-Favera has made pioneering contributions to the study of cancer - particularly lymphoma, whose incidence has doubled in the last 35 years. He discovered most of the genes responsible for lymphoma development, including a gene that stimulates tumor growth in most types of B cell lymphoma. He is now translating those laboratory findings into new experimental treatments that are currently undergoing preclinical testing.

“Dr. Dalla-Favera’s extensive experience translating basic science discoveries into clinical learnings and advancements will lend exponential value to the evolution of oncology research and clinical care at Columbia,” said Gerald D. Fischbach, M.D., executive vice president of Columbia University Medical Center and dean of the faculty of medicine at Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons. “As an international leader in the genetics of cancer, his ongoing work on human B cell lymphoma remains at the forefront of this challenging, clinically critical disease and may potentially be applied to other cancers as well.”

“Throughout his career, Dr. Dalla-Favera has demonstrated deep knowledge and passion about medical oncology and public health. There is no question that he can bring us to the forefront of cancer research and care, medical oncology, and cancer prevention,” said Herbert Pardes, M.D., President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. “We are grateful to Herbert and Florence Irving, whose generosity and commitment have made this Center and the appointment of Dr. Dalla-Favera possible.”

“I am proud to lead this Cancer Center, which has recently been reinvigorated with another generous gift from Herbert and Florence Irving, the new 300,000 sq. ft. Irving Cancer Research Center,” said Dr. Dalla-Favera. “We are facing a historical moment in cancer research. In the last 20 years enormous progress has been made in understanding how cancer develops, but our discoveries have just begun to improve therapies for patients. By expanding the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at this moment in time we can strengthen our efforts to revolutionize cancer therapy in the next 10 to 20 years.”

A distinguished investigator in the molecular genetics of cancer, Dr. Dalla-Favera has been recognized with several national awards, including the Stohlman Award from The Leukemia Society of America, and two National Institutes of Health MERIT awards, which provide long-term support to investigators who have made significant scientific contributions. In addition, he has been a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and at the National Cancer Institute, as well as principal investigator of several NCI grants.

Dr. Dalla-Favera is currently the principal investigator of two prestigious five-year grants to study breast cancer and lymphoma:

A $15.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, awarded in the spring of 2003 to the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia to study breast cancer. The researchers hope the research will lead to a coherent picture of the molecular pathways that lead to the development of breast cancer. A $5 million grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, awarded in the fall of 2003, to help Columbia and Memorial Sloan-Kettering investigators test an experimental lymphoma drug in clinical trials and also determine how the cancers develop. Dr. Dalla-Favera received his medical degree from the University of Milan in Italy, where he also completed his residency. He completed a fellowship at the National Cancer Institute and was previously a faculty member at New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Dalla-Favera joined Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in the Department of Pathology in 1989.

The Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia encompasses pre-clinical and clinical research, treatment, prevention and education efforts in cancer. The Cancer Center was initially funded by the NCI in 1972 and became an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in 1979. The designation recognizes the Center’s collaborative environment and expertise harnessing translational research to bridge scientific discovery to clinical delivery, with the ultimate goal to successfully introduce novel diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive approaches to cancer.

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, medical education, and health care. The medical center trains future leaders in health care and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, nurses, dentists, and other health professionals at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the School of Dental & Oral Surgery, the School of Nursing, the Mailman School of Public Health, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. With a strong history of some of the most important advances and discoveries in health care, its researchers are leading the development of novel therapies and advances to address a wide range of health conditions. www.cumc.columbia.edu.

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Dalla Favera, Florence Irving, National Cancer Institute, NCI