Hans Clevers receives Josephine Nefkens Prize for Cancer Research

28 November 2008

The 2008 Josephine Nefkens Prize will be awarded today to Professor Hans Clevers, director of the Hubrecht Institute at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) in Utrecht, for his outstanding research on intestinal cancer. A cash award of €50,000 accompanies the prize, which Clevers may use at his own discretion for his research.

The jury writes that Clevers is among the very best – “the top of the top” and “in a league of his own” – going on to say that “For many years, Hans Clevers has conducted truly pioneering work in the field of dysregulation of signal transduction in cancer. He has made essential contributions, which have resulted in better insight into processes that play an important role in the transformation of intestinal cells into malignant colon tumors. His recent, extremely original, research on stem cells in the crypt of the intestinal villi attracted a great deal of attention all around the world.”

The Josephine Nefkens Prize for Cancer Research is awarded once every three years to an active scientist in the Dutch-speaking world (irrespective of nationality) who has conducted outstanding cancer research. The jury, which was made up of five renowned scientists, chose Clevers from among nominees put forward by universities and research institutes in countries where Dutch is spoken. In 2001, the prize went to Professor Jan Hoeijmakers of Erasmus Medical Center (MC) in Rotterdam. In 2004, Professor René Bernards of the Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital was honored. The prize is awarded under the auspices of Erasmus University Rotterdam, and was set up ten years ago at the opening of the Josephine Nefkens Institute (JNI). The exceptionally high standard of the prizewinners shows that the Josephine Nefkens Prize is now one of the most prestigious prizes for cancer research in the Dutch-speaking world.

A large donation from the Josephine Nefkens Foundation made it possible to build the JNI ten years ago. As an organization, the JNI is part of Erasmus MC. The institute conducts translational cancer research: research aimed at applying the findings of laboratory research to the care provided for cancer patients. The primary focus areas for research are breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, germ cell tumors, gastrointestinal cancers, and brain tumors. The institute employs more than 250 people.