ECI steering committee members elected as Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences

Congratulations to two members of our steering committee who have been elected as Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Professor Antonis Antoniou and Professor George Vassiliou are among seven Cambridge academics who have been recognised for their outstanding contributions to advancing medical science, through discovery research, translational work and the application of scientific knowledge in ways that deliver tangible benefits for patients and the wider public.

Professor Antonis Antoniou – Department of Public Health and Primary Care and Director of the Centre for Cancer Genetic Epidemiology & Cancer Data-Driven Detection

Antonis is an internationally recognised genetic epidemiologist who has made major contributions to the understanding of the genetic basis of common cancers, the development of multifactorial risk prediction models and tools and novel statistical methods. His work has defined the risks associated with major cancer susceptibility genes and has shown how common genetic variants modify cancer risk in mutation carriers. For the past 20 years, he has spearheaded the development of the BOADICEA and CanRisk, internationally adopted tools for breast, ovarian and prostate cancer risk prediction, that combine genetic and non-genetic factors to guide prevention, screening and clinical decision-making. Through major global and national collaborative programmes, his work continues to advance early detection and prevention of cancer.

Professor George Vassiliou – Department of Haematology and Cambridge Stem Cell Institute

Born and raised in Cyprus, George trained in London and Cambridge before establishing his research team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, then moving to the University in 2019. He is recognised for his pioneering research into the biology, pathogenesis and treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and related cancers. His work includes the co-discovery of clonal haematopoiesis, transforming our understanding of how somatic mutations and blood stem cell ageing can lead to the development of leukaemia; elucidation of the molecular consequences of key leukaemia driver mutations; and performance of the first genome-wide CRISPR screen in a human cancer, identifying critical AML vulnerabilities and fast-tracking novel therapeutics to the clinic.

The new Fellows will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Tuesday 30 June.