JUDAH FOLKMAN, MD, FACS, IS RECIPIENT
OF THE 2006 JACOBSON INNOVATION AWARD

CHICAGO: Judah Folkman, MD, FACS, a pediatric surgeon from Boston, MA, is the recipient of the 2006 Jacobson Innovation Award of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Dr. Folkman was honored with the award in recognition of his pioneering work in and ongoing contributions to the field of angiogenesis. In 1971, Dr. Folkman proposed the revolutionary concept that tumors are unable to grow beyond a certain size unless they have a dedicated blood supply. He also said that successful tumors secrete an unknown substance, which he then called tumor angiogenesis factor, which encourages new blood vessel growth. He argued that the process of angiogenesis helps transform a tumor from a small cluster of mutated cells to a large, malignant growth. Dr. Folkman’s hypothesis that all tumor growth is angiogenesis-dependent founded the field of angiogenesis research and opened an area of investigation now pursued by scientists in many fields worldwide. His research has greatly improved the outlook and likelihood of survival for many cancer patients, and has led to improved sight for many patients with macular degeneration.

The 12th Jacobson Innovation Award was presented to Dr. Folkman at a dinner on June 9, 2006, at the headquarters of the American College of Surgeons. The purpose of the award is to honor living surgeons, or surgical teams, who have been innovators of a new development or technique in any field of surgery. The award is made possible through a gift from Julius H. Jacobson II, MD, FACS, a general vascular surgeon known for his pioneering work in the development of microsurgery.

As early as the 1960s, Dr. Folkman hypothesized that angiogenesis is integral to the complex biology that enables and encourages the growth of tumors and other forms of cancer. More than 30 years after the original publication of Dr. Folkman’s seminal hypothesis in the New England Journal of Medicine, angiogenesis inhibitors and stimulators are becoming powerful new weapons in the armamentarium against cancer and eye disease. Antiangiogenesis therapy also has demonstrated great promise in treating a host of other illnesses, including heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and endometriosis. Today, angiogenesis inhibitors have received FDA approval in the United States for cancer and for the treatment of macular degeneration, and are also approved in 29 other countries. Largely because of Dr. Folkman’s research, the possibility of antiangiogenic therapy is now on a firm scientific foundation not only in the treatment of cancer but of many non-tumorous diseases as well.

Dr. Folkman is the Julia Dyckman Andrus Professor of Pediatric Surgery and professor of cellular biology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. In addition to his tenure at Harvard, Dr. Folkman also serves as senior-associate in surgery and director of the vascular biology program at Children’s Hospital Boston, where he served as surgeon-in-chief from 1967 to 1981, and where his research is focused on the study of angiogenesis to prevent and treat disease.

Dr. Folkman graduated magna cum laude with an MD degree from Harvard Medical School (1957). After receiving his degree, Dr. Folkman interned at Massachusetts General Hospital 1957-1958), where he continued his residency first as assistant resident in surgery (1959-1960), and then as chief resident in surgery (1964-1965). During his residency, Dr. Folkman took leave to serve as lieutenant in the US Navy at National Naval Medical Center (1960-1962), Bethesda, MD, where his interest in the development of organ perfusion methods led to the novel idea that tumors generate their own vascular supply, and that the control of this process can lead to the successful treatment of malignancies and abnormal vascular growth.

Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Folkman has remained actively involved as a member of many prominent academic, medical, surgical, and scientific societies. In addition to holding membership in many of the major surgical organizations in the United States, including the American College of Surgeons and the American Surgical Association, Dr. Folkman is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences; American Philosophical Society; Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences; American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Association of American Physicians; American Association for the Advancement of Science; and New York Academy of Sciences. Dr. Folkman has also served as president of the American Pediatric Surgical Association (2005-2006) and the Boston Surgical Society (1999).

Dr. Folkman has authored or coauthored close to 400 publications; written more than 100 book chapters and monographs; published over 150 abstracts; and served on the editorial boards of numerous medical, surgical, and scientific journals. For his work in angiogenesis research, Dr. Folkman has been the recipient of numerous awards and 17 honorary degrees, the most recent of which is the MD (hon) from the University of Torino, Italy. Among his awards are the Helen Keller Foundation Award (2006); Lifetime Achievement Award, Nature Biotechnology Winter Symposium (2006); Grand Prix Scientifique International, Lefoulon-Delalande Institut de France (2005); Henry Bigelow Medal, Boston Surgical Society (2005); Prince of Asturias Award (Spain 2004); Benjamin Franklin Institute Award in Life Science (2001); Chiron Award in Medicine (Italy 1999); Keio University Medical Prize (Japan 1998); General Motors Cancer Research Award (1997); Ernst Schering Award (Germany 1996); Bristol Myers Cancer Research Award (1995); Steiner Foundation Award (Switzerland 1994); Wolf Foundation Prize (Israel 1992); Gairdner Foundation International Award (Canada 1991); and Ledlie Prize, Harvard University (1987).

Since its establishment in 1994, the Jacobson Innovation Award—administered by the Honors Committee of the American College of Surgeons—has been awarded to 12 prestigious surgeons, including Dr. Folkman. Original thought combined with the first presentation of work that has led to a milestone in the advancement of surgical care is the main criterion for choosing a recipient of the Jacobson Innovation Award.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 69,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

Online June 9, 2006

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