Alfred George Knudson, Jr. (August 9, 1922 – July 10, 2016) was an American physician and geneticist specializing in cancer genetics. Among his many contributions to the field was the formulation of the Knudson hypothesis in 1971, which explains the effects of mutation on carcinogenesis (the development of cancer).

Early life and education

Knudson was born in Los Angeles, California in 1922. He received his B.S. from California Institute of Technology in 1944, his M.D. from Columbia University in 1947 and his Ph.D. from California Institute of Technology in 1956. From 1970 to 1976, Knudson served as the Dean of Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in the Texas Medical Center. He was affiliated with Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia from 1976 until his death in 2016.

Knudson is best known for his "two-hit hypothesis," explaining the incidence of hereditary cancers, such as retinoblastoma. These studies led to the concept of tumor suppressor genes, which Knudson called "anti-oncogenes."

Honors and awards

He received numerous prizes and honorary doctorates for his work, most prominently the 1998 Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research. He also received the 1999 American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology (ASPHO) Distinguished Career Award, the 2005 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research, and the 2004 Kyoto Prize in Life sciences. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Personal life

After a long illness, Knudson died on July 10, 2016, at the age of 93 at his home in Philadelphia .

References

  • Oncology Luminaries: Dr. Alfred G. Knudson
  • Interview on March 5, 2013
  • Commentary on Alfred G. Knudson, Jr.