The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the city of Houston, and the world of oncology have lost a great leader in Dr. John Mendelsohn, who contributed greatly to his institution, his community, and his field of expertise.
He was a pioneer in the development of anti-receptor antibodies to control tumor growth. He was the first to produce an antibody against the EGF receptor and demonstrate its anti-tumor activity in model systems. This served as a template for the subsequent development of antibodies against a host of growth factor receptors, and many of these are now used to treat a variety of cancers.
Not only was John an accomplished scientist, he was a compassionate and caring physician. These attributes, made him a great role model for physician-scientists. During his tenure, the stature of MD Anderson soared in the area of translational research.
This is an excerpt of an article that was published in full in The Cancer Letter.
