Robert G. Weinberg is one of the founding fathers of modern cancer biology. He is currently credits with the discovery of three major sets of oncogenes involved in producing classically defined human cancers, and in identifying and altering the key pathways that fuel tumor formation. He is an institute professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Massachusetts and a director at the MIT Center for Cancer Research.
Robert Weinberg was born in Brooklyn, New York, in October 1942. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Cornell University and completed his PhD in Molecular Biology under the guidance of James F. Bonner at the California Institute of Technology in 1966. After postdoctoral training at Stanford Medical School and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, Weinberg moved to MIT and joined the Department of Biology as a faculty member in 1973, where he remains to this day.
Compiling an enormous body of work over the ensuing decades, Weinberg and his team of brilliant researchers have contributed significantly to the understanding of cancer genetics. His major achievements include the cloning and characterization of the first human oncogenes, RAS, MYC, and BCL-2, the identification of gene expression networks that regulate tissue-specific cellular differentiation, and the classification of the key mutations that occur in carcinogenesis. As a result, Weinberg is credited with helping launch the modern era of molecular cancer research.
Through the early 1980s, Weinberg and his colleagues defined the processes of cellular transformation, including the mounting evidence that activation of oncogenes induces tumor formation. This research was instrumental in characterizing the genetic basis of human cancer, which led to the recognition that human cancers arise from changes in a small number of regulon genes, as opposed to hundreds of cancer-causing mutations. It was also a major step forward in our understanding of how tumors interact within their environment, as it provided researchers with opportunities to use the genetic information encoded in these mutations to identify and target specific types of cancer.
In addition to his groundbreaking scientific work, Professor Weinberg is a prolific author, having written more than 400 peer-reviewed papers and five books on cancer biology. He is also an extraordinarily gifted educator, having earned numerous teaching awards and mentored many current leaders in the field of cancer research. His 2003 book, The Biology of Cancer, is considered a classic and is used in courses around the world.
What’s more, Weinberg’s vast influence extends far beyond the laboratory. He sits on numerous scientific and medical advisory boards, consults with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies on their strategies, and serves as a sought-after communicator. He regularly speaks on a wide range of topics, from the impact of digital media on public health to human gene editing and the ethics of stem cell research. Throughout his career, Weinberg has also been an outspoken leader in the fight against cancer and a strong advocate for science education for all.
In recognition of his many contributions to cancer biology, Professor Weinberg has been honored with numerous awards, including the National Medal of Science and the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. He has also been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, and was cited as a leading thinker in the field of biomedicine in The Science Watch 100 Most-Cited Scientists.
Throughout his career, Robert G. Weinberg has been an incredible catalyst for change. He has challenged the boundaries of science, pushed the limits of what we understand about cancer, and set a new standard in the international commitment to cancer research. Through his dedication, dedication and tenacity, Weinberg has considerably changed the course of cancer biology.
