Sergio Lombroso Award in Cancer Research presented to

Dr. Pier Paoli Pandolfi, of the Sloan-Kettering Institute, was presented with the Sergio Lombroso Award in Cancer Research. The award, administered by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, is presented to a member of the international scientific or medical community who has made a significant contribution to the understanding of cancer and its treatment.

Dr. Pandolfi�s research has been seminal in understanding and treating leukemia, lymphomas and solid tumors, as well as in modeling human cancers in mice and studying the therapeutic implications. Dr. Pandolfi earned both M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Perugia, Italy.

He received further post-graduate training at the National Institute for Medical Research and the University of London in the U.K. Dr. Pandolfi established his research laboratory at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York in 1994. He currently heads the Molecular and Developmental Biology Laboratories at MSKCC and serves as Associate Member and Professor at the Sloan-Kettering Institute and Cornell University.

Dr. Hanan Alon, Vice President of the Weizmann Institute of Science, presented the award in Washington, DC, during a program organized by the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute. Dr. Alon said that Dr. Paoli Pandolfi has made an important contribution to furthering the treatment of cancer. He described Dr. Pandolfi�s passion for philosophy, in addition to science, and for helping humanity in a tangible way.

Mrs. Daniela Di-Segni, niece of the late Sergio Lombroso, for whom the Award is named, spoke about her uncle�s commitment to help scientists battle cancer. She explained that it was Sergio Lombroso�s love for Israel and respect for its achievements in science that led him to bequeath a gift to the Weizmann Institute of Science, a pioneer in the field of basic cancer research.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Dr. Pandolfi thanked the Lombroso family and the Weizmann Institute of Science for the award, which this year includes an $85,000 grant for his research at Sloan-Kettering and a $10,000 grant for use by the scientist. Dr. Pandolfi added that he plans to use part of the funding to develop joint research projects with scientists and graduate students from the Weizmann Institute.

Dr. Pandolfi dedicated his scientific presentation to the memory of his mother, who died of lung cancer, and expressed confidence that as research continues around the world, a cure for cancer will eventually be found.

The Weizmann Institute of Science, in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world�s foremost centers of scientific research and graduate study. Its 2,500 scientists, students, technicians and engineers pursue basic research in the quest for knowledge and to enhance the quality of human life. New ways of fighting disease and hunger, protecting the environment, and harnessing alternative sources of energy are high priorities at Weizmann.