Speaker Profile
Brian Jay Druker

Brian Jay Druker MD

Oncology, Haematology
Portland, Oregon, United States of America

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Dr. Brian J. Druker, MD, director of the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research, and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will receive the 2017 Science of Oncology Award and Lecture.

Dr. Druker’s research was instrumental in the development and approval of imatinib, which has transformed the management of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, received the fastest approval in U.S. Food and Drug Administration history and turned a previously fatal disease into a manageable condition. Approximately 90% of patients with CML who are treated with imatinib are still alive 5 years after starting treatment. Dr. Druker’s work on imatinib introduced the concept of targeted therapy and laid the foundation for a new direction in oncology precision medicine which is focused on a personalized approach to cancer treatment.

Dr. Druker’s revolutionary contributions to oncology have been recognized on numerous occasions: he has received the Warren Alpert Prize, the Lasker-DeBakey Award for Clinical Medical Research, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, and the Japan Prize in Healthcare and Medical Technology. His honorary lecture scheduled for June 4 will focus on lessons learned from the development of imatinib and applications of precision medicine to other cancers.
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