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Charis Eng
出生新加坡,16歲上芝加哥大學,1986年獲得生物學博士1988年獲得芝加哥大學普利兹克醫學院博士學位。
10月18日Charis Eng博士獲得美國癌症協會的最高榮譽
早在幾年前,克利夫蘭診所基因組醫學硏究所所長、腫瘤學家和遺傳學家卡麗絲·恩格(Charis
Eng)強調,除了DNA以外,腫瘤的表現行爲還取決于其它東西,例如,基因突變相同的患者會患上不同癌症。Charis
Eng在硏究的領域里是一位佼佼者在許多雜誌有關她的文章。
At a special ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Oct.
18, Charis Eng, MD, PhD, was awarded the American Cancer Society’s
Medal of Honor, its highest level of recognition. It was a
career-defining moment for the internationally renowned genetics
researcher, who says she knew from childhood what she wanted to do
in life.
“When I was a young girl playing with my chemistry set and
stethoscope, I never imagined this,” says Dr. Eng, Founding Chair of
Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute. She also is the
Sondra J. and Stephen R. Hardis Endowed Chair of Cancer Genomic
Medicine and Director of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Personalized
Genetic Healthcare.
“I am honored and humbled to receive the American Cancer Society’s
Medal of Honor for Clinical Research,” Dr. Eng says. “To receive it
on stage with the Hon. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Dr. Michael J. Thun, as
well as Drs. Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, the
co-discoverers of CRISP-CAS9 gene editing, was overwhelming.”
Medal of Honor recipients embody the mission of the American Cancer
Society, says Gary M. Reedy, the organization’s CEO. “We bestow this
highest honor on these individuals for their significant
contributions to the advancement and impact of our collective
efforts to save more lives from cancer.”
Dr. Eng notes that her entire career has been devoted to
understanding the genes that play a role in heritable cancers and
translating those findings into improved patient care. “For example,
our research led to the discovery of the relationship between
certain germline (occurring in every cell of the body) PTEN
mutations and Cowden syndrome, which carries high risks of breast,
thyroid and other cancers. These discoveries were rapidly translated
into everyday medical practice.
“We’ve since discovered other genes, as well, each of them bringing
different cancer risks when mutated. Our work has characterized the
age at cancer risk and the precise cancer risk associated with each
gene over a lifetime, such that doctors can closely watch (enhanced
surveillance) those who have gene mutations and catch the cancers
when early and curable. Our work has broad implications for
diagnosis, prognosis, therapy and prevention, forming the basis for
precision oncology practice.”
In her award acceptance speech, Dr. Eng emphasized the importance of
collaboration and teamwork through the years. “Like all such honors,
it is not to an individual,” she said. “No, it is because of my
research and clinical teams, past and present, and, might I say,
future. It is because of my colleagues and collaborators. It is
because of my mentors. It is equally to my parents, who supported me
through thick and thin.”
She also thanked Cleveland Clinic and Serpil Erzurum, MD, Chair of
the Lerner Research Institute, for providing “a wonderful work
culture” that helped her achieve success, and she recounted how,
early in her career, she submitted 10 grant applications to funding
organizations, and only the American Cancer Society funded her work.
“They gave me a Research Scholar Grant, and so I’m very grateful,”
she said. “I’ve told people that without that grant, I would not be
standing here tonight.”
Dr. Eng has published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles and was
the principal investigator on projects totaling more than $50
million in research funding, including federal grants,
multi-investigator grants and consortia, foundation funding and
philanthropy. She has earned numerous honors, including the Doris
Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award, and was elected to the
National Academy of Medicine, as well as the American Society for
Clinical Investigation and Association of American Physicians.
Dr. Eng is a two-time VeloSano Pilot Award recipient, which provides
seed funding for cancer research projects at Cleveland Clinic that
have a high likelihood of leading to successful, future extramural
grant funding.She also has received funds from the Center for
Transformative Nanomedicine, a virtual center that prioritizes
collaborative research projects from scientists at Cleveland Clinic
and The Hebrew University.
In addition to her leadership at Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Eng has
served on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health and Society.
Dr. Erzurum, who holds the Alfred Lerner Memorial Chair in
Innovative Biomedical Research, praises Dr. Eng for significant
contributions to her field.
“Charis is a true pioneer in cancer genomics, especially integrating
the study of genetics into clinical care,” Dr. Erzurum says. “As a
physician-scientist for over 20 years, she has dedicated her career
to patient-oriented research in genetics and genomic medicine. She
also has an unparalleled passion for mentoring the next generation
of physician-scientists, PhDs, clinical researchers and healthcare
leaders.”
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