'Two-Hit' Hypothesis

Much of what scientists know about the origins of cancer and the role of tumor suppressors can be traced back 28 years to the elegant theory of cancer researcher Alfred G. Knudson. Widely thought to be one of the most significant theories in modern biology, Knudson's "two-hit" hypothesis was recognized Nov. 19 at the John Scott Awards in Philadelphia, along with the revolutionary research of Benoit Mandelbrot, the discoverer of the powerful mathematical laws governing fractal geometry and self-s

Written byEugene Russo

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Much of what scientists know about the origins of cancer and the role of tumor suppressors can be traced back 28 years to the elegant theory of cancer researcher Alfred G. Knudson. Widely thought to be one of the most significant theories in modern biology, Knudson's "two-hit" hypothesis was recognized Nov. 19 at the John Scott Awards in Philadelphia, along with the revolutionary research of Benoit Mandelbrot, the discoverer of the powerful mathematical laws governing fractal geometry and self-similarity.¹

Alfred G. Knudson

For Knudson, now a senior member of the Institute for Cancer Research at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, it's the latest of a long list of accolades. Past honors for his theory on the genetic and environmental basis of several common cancers include the 1997 Gairdner Foundation International Award and the 1998 Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award.²

Even amid ongoing rumors of an impending Nobel, ...

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