Druker earns inaugural Knight Lifetime Achievement Award
Brian Druker, M.D., on Wednesday received the inaugural Knight Lifetime Achievement Award given at the institution that became his home and a springboard for the widening field of precision medicine.
OHSU President Shereef Elnahal, M.D., M.B.A., presented the award, recognizing the renowned oncologist’s lifetime of achievement, during the Oregon Drug Discovery Symposium at Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Research Building.
Years before he landed on the cover of Time magazine, Druker was a physician-scientist who relentlessly pursued a small clinical trial to test a new drug on a fatal type of cancer. Beginning in the late 1990s, desperate patients with chronic myeloid leukemia began to learn about it through their internet connections.
“People began to hear about it online — you take a pill and your leukemia goes away?” Druker recalled. “People thought it was snake oil.”
Today known as Gleevec, the drug has turned chronic myeloid leukemia into a manageable condition with patients living normal lifespans. The discovery became a proof of principle for targeted therapies, and as of the past year the FDA has approved more than 100 similar precision therapies for other types of cancer.
The award is named for Nike founder Phil Knight, a longtime supporter of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
“The award has been set up to recognize scientists whose achievements have improved scientific understanding and ultimately our ability to treat disease,” said Sanjay V. Malhotra, Ph.D., FRSC, director of the OHSU Center for Experimental Therapeutics.
This year marks 25 years since the Food and Drug Administration approved Gleevec, the first drug to target the molecular defect of a cancer while leaving healthy cells unharmed. The Knight Lifetime Achievement Award is intended to inspire the next generation to follow in Druker’s footsteps and make their own transformative advances in biomedicine.
“This award recognizes Dr. Druker’s lifetime of achievement in driving forward the field of targeted cell therapy,” Elnahal said. “The inaugural Knight Lifetime Achievement Award also sets the stage to highlight OHSU and Oregon as an emerging center of biomedical innovation in the country.”
Organized by the Center for Experimental Therapeutics at the Knight Cancer Institute, the two-day symposium brought together scientists, investors and thought leaders focused on lab-to-clinic innovations in medications and surgical techniques. Panelists covered the emerging use of artificial intelligence driving drug discovery and clinical care.
They also heard from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, who recognized OHSU’s efforts to establish Oregon as a hub for biomedical innovation nationally.
“The excitement and energy in this building is about prosperity and for our country and state to discover, build and create therapies that at the end of the day help people live better lives,” Kotek said. “Oregon can be the epicenter of this work, and I look forward to supporting you all in making it happen.”
Learn more about Brian Druker, M.D.
Druker, chief executive officer of the Knight Cancer Institute, said he is intent on building out the vision made possible by the recent $2 billion commitment from Phil and Penny Knight, the biggest single contribution to a university, college or academic medical center in U.S. history.
“I am delighted to receive this award and eager to recognize new recipients in the years ahead,” Druker said. “More importantly, thanks to the generosity of Penny and Phil Knight, I’m most proud of the fact that the Knight Cancer Institute is a place that supports the innovation and creativity of scientists and health care professionals committed to ending cancer as we know it.”