For Immediate Release
April 18, 2007

BUFFALO, NY − The public is invited to attend the inaugural Dr. Enrico Mihich Lecture “Mechanisms of Malignant Progression,” presented by internationally renowned researcher, Robert A. Weinberg, PhD, at 11 am on Tuesday, May 8, in the David C. Hohn, MD, Lecture Hall, Research Studies Center, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI).

Dr. Weinberg, a recognized authority on the genetic basis of human cancer, is the Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research at the Whitehead Institute of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America and is an American Cancer Society Research Professor.

Dr. Weinberg and his colleagues isolated the first known human cancer-causing gene, the ras oncogene, and the first known tumor suppressor gene, the Rb retinoblastoma suppressor gene. The principal goal of his research program is to determine how oncogenes, their normal counterparts (proto-oncogenes) and tumor suppressor genes fit together in the complex circuitry that controls cell growth. More recently, his group has succeeded in creating the first genetically defined human cancer cells. He is particularly interested in applying this knowledge to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

For more information, call 716-845-8686.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and in China, For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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