Through his groundbreaking research, Eric Lander, PhD, a professor at both Harvard and MIT, has provided remarkable insight into the molecular basis of human physiology and disease through the lens of genomics. His efforts have led to a better understanding of cancer, diabetes, inflammatory diseases and many other challenging illnesses. Dr. Lander is the founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a flagship organization for biomedical research and collaboration; founder of the Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research; and a leader of the Human Genome Project.
Through the discoveries and innovations of Dr. Lander and his teams, scientists continue to delve into cancer mutations, disease responses to drugs, disease susceptibility in different populations and other topics that help bring new treatments, preventative methodologies and diagnostic tools to the table. Their groundbreaking work brings hope to patients and families facing challenging illnesses around the world.
Dr. Lander is a member of numerous leading organizations and a recipient of many prestigious awards including the MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (often known as a Genius Award), the Gairdner International Award, the Max Delbrück Medal, the AAAS Award for Public Understanding of Science and Technology and eight honorary doctorates. He was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Watch Dr. Lander in “Cycle of Discovery,” a video shown at the 2014 the one hundred about how researchers are making progress in the fight against cancer. You can also watch all of the evening’s videos here.
