From his research on cancer therapeutics to his personal commitment to education and mentoring, Professor Stephen Lippard is an accomplished participant in the fight against cancer.
As the Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at MIT, Professor Lippard has advanced cancer medicine through the discovery, synthesis and development of new therapeutic compounds. His research spans the fields of inorganic chemistry, biological chemistry and neurochemistry, and he is widely recognized for discovering how platinum interacts with DNA to cause the death of cancer cells. His laboratory uncovered the mechanism of action of several platinum compounds now used to treat cancer, and his research led to the development of a novel platinum anti-cancer agent now being evaluated in a clinical trial.
Professor Lippard has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the National Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Among his many awards are the National Medal of Science, the Priestley Medal, the highest honor of the American Chemical Society, and the James R. Killian Lectureship, given annually to one MIT faculty member.
Professor Lippard’s commitment to fighting cancer is both professional and personal. In honor of his wife, Judy, who died of endometrial cancer, he created an endowed lectureship to strengthen the research and clinical relationships between MIT and Mass General. The Judith Ann Lippard Memorial Lecture recognizes a leading investigator in the field of women’s cancers, who is then invited to meet with trainees, researchers and physician-scientists to inspire the best and brightest young minds as they advance cancer therapies.
