2008 RECIPIENTS

Adrian V. Lee, Ph.D.,
Associate Professor,
Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center,
Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Adrian V. Lee received his B.Sc. in Biochemistry (1989) from Kent University in England. He performed his graduate studies with Dr Roger J.B. King, Ph.D., D.Sc. at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London, and then at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England (1993). Dr. Lee came to the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) for his postdoctoral studies with Dr Douglas Yee, M.D. studying the role of IGFs in breast cancer and mechanisms of therapeutic targeting this pathway (1993-1997). He was promoted to Instructor of Medicine (1997-1999) and subsequently recruited as an Assistant Professor to Baylor College of Medicine (1999) where he is currently a tenured Associate Professor in the Breast Center and Departments of Medicine and Molecular and Cellular Biology.

 The goal of Dr. Lee’s laboratory is to translate basic cell and molecular research findings into the understanding and treatment of breast cancer. To this end, Dr Lee’s laboratory studies many aspects of translational breast cancer research utilizing basic biochemistry and molecular biology, cell lines, mouse models and patient biopsies from clinical trials. The main focus of the laboratory is the understanding of how IGFs regulated breast transformation, and how this knowledge can be used for successful treatment of patients. Dr. Lee’s lab also studies the role of novel nanotechnology agents in the imaging and treatment of early breast cancer, and fundamental studies on the role of structural genomic rearrangements in breast cancer.

 Dr Lee has published over 80 peer reviewed research articles and has funding from NIH, Department of Defense, Susan G. Komen Foundation, and other sources. Dr Lee is a member of the NIH Molecular Oncogenesis (MONC) study section and serves on numerous other national peer-review committees. Dr. Lee has received numerous awards including a T.T. Chao scholarship. Dr. Lee is actively involved in teaching both graduate and medical students and recently developed an elective course entitled “Introduction to Leadership Skills”.