Co-discoverer of BRCA 1&2 genes, Dr Steven Narod, wins national research award
February 13, 2014
Dr. Steven Narod
Ovarian Cancer Canada has named Dr. Steven Narod, a Toronto researcher and a world leader in the field of hereditary ovarian and breast cancer, as the recipient of the 2014 Karen Campbell National Award for Research Excellence. The award will be presented at the charity’s LOVE HER event on February 27 at the Liberty Grand in Toronto.
“Ovarian Cancer Canada is delighted to recognize Dr. Narod’s decades of international research that have deepened our understanding of hereditary ovarian cancer and moved us toward better prevention and treatment of this disease. His body of work exemplifies the very definition of the award,” says Elisabeth Baugh, CEO of Ovarian Cancer Canada.
Now in its third year, the annual award recognizes excellence in research that has had a significant impact on the understanding, future research and treatment of ovarian cancer.
Saving lives
“It’s a tremendous honour to receive this award from Ovarian Cancer Canada,” says Dr. Narod, director of the Familial Breast Cancer Research Unit at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, a group that focuses on hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. “Our team conducts research that has immediate consequences. One likes to think that the impact will be seen as soon as the research is out – that it will change practice and change lives.”
Dr. Narod’s success in improving patient care is “an amazing accomplishment,” according to Dr. Barry Rosen, head of the division of gynecologic oncology at the University of Toronto. “All women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer in Ontario are now eligible for genetic testing, and their relatives without cancer are able to enter cancer prevention and early detection programs. This opportunity for screening and prevention is saving lives, and it is just one example of how Dr. Narod has translated his research directly into patient care.”
Identifying the BRCA mutation
Starting in 1987, Dr. Narod studied hereditary breast cancer at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, with Dr. Gilbert Lenoir. Dr. Narod is a co-discoverer of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, and since their discoveries in 1994 and 1995, he has studied the distribution of mutations worldwide. Women who inherit mutations to either their BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene are at increased risk for both ovarian and breast cancer.
His team has identified founder mutations to the BRCA genes in the Ashkenazi-Jewish, French-Canadian and Bahamian populations. Dr. Narod directs one of the largest international longitudinal studies with a database of over 14,000 women who carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.
Dr. Narod has advanced cancer genetics around the world through collaboration with experts in over 30 countries. He continues to translate the emerging knowledge into more effective strategies for cancer prevention, detection and management. He has published over 600 papers with more than 300 specifically on BRCA1 and BRCA2, and is one of the world’s most cited and influential researchers in the field of hereditary cancer.
A professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto – with cross appointments in the departments of medicine, surgery, pathology, and obstetrics and gynecology – in 2012, Dr. Narod was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
The Award
The Karen Campbell National Award for Research Excellence is named in honour of the late Karen Campbell of Toronto, who died of ovarian cancer at the age of 57 in 2010. Karen’s friends worked with Ovarian Cancer Canada to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and funds to support the work of the charity through the LOVE HER event and fashion show, which was launched in 2012. To further honour Karen’s memory and all women who have lost their battles with ovarian cancer, and to bring recognition to outstanding work by Canadian researchers, Ovarian Cancer Canada launched the Karen Campbell National Award for Research Excellence.
LOVE HER is an evening of fashion, comedy, cocktails, music and exciting live and silent auctions in support of the work of Ovarian Cancer Canada. With events across Canada in Toronto (February 27), Calgary (March 6) and Vancouver (May 28), LOVE HER will honour those affected by ovarian cancer, and raise awareness and funds to help overcome the disease.
Get your tickets today