Rockville, MD — The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) proudly announces that Dr. Tony R. Hunter of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has been awarded the 2025 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research for a discovery that forever changed how cancer is understood and treated.
In 1979, while studying how certain cancer-causing viruses alter cells, Dr. Hunter uncovered a previously unknown cellular process: tyrosine phosphorylation. This mechanism, which involves the addition of phosphate groups to tyrosine residues on proteins, revealed how cells transmit growth signals—a process central to cell division and communication. Crucially, he showed that when this signaling pathway goes awry, it can drive the unchecked cell growth that defines cancer.
At the time, no one even knew this kind of signaling occurred in cells. Dr. Hunter’s insight opened up an entirely new field of study: tyrosine kinase signaling. His work provided the molecular blueprint for targeted cancer therapies, enabling the development of more than 50 FDA-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that precisely block cancer-driving signals. These therapies have transformed outcomes for patients with leukemia, lung cancer, gastrointestinal tumors, and many other malignancies.
“Dr. Hunter’s foundational discovery has changed how we understand and treat cancer,” said Dr. Dennis Slamon, Chair of the 2025 Prize Committee. “His work led directly to life-saving targeted therapies used every day.”
One of the first and most well-known therapies to emerge from this breakthrough was Gleevec, which revolutionized treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia and has saved hundreds of thousands of lives worldwide.
Dr. Hunter will be formally honored at the 2025 NFCR Global Summit and Award Ceremonies for Cancer Research & Entrepreneurship, held on October 24, 2025, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The event gathers leading researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs, advocates, and investors to spotlight breakthroughs and build collaborations that accelerate progress against cancer.
NFCR President and CEO Dr. Sujuan Ba added, “Dr. Hunter’s contribution opened a new field that continues to drive breakthroughs in both understanding and treating cancer. We are proud to honor him and invite the world to celebrate his milestone discoveries with us.”
Reflecting on the honor, Dr. Hunter said, “I am deeply honored to receive this award. It’s a tribute to everyone working to turn science into better treatments for patients.”
To read more about Dr. Hunter’s career and accomplishments, visit: https://www.salk.edu/scientist/tony-hunter.
About the National Foundation for Cancer Research
The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization co-founded in 1973 by Nobel Laureate Dr. Albert Szent-Györgyi and Attorney/Business Entrepreneur Franklin Salisbury, Sr. NFCR provides scientists in the lab with the critical seed funding they need to make game-changing discoveries in cancer detection, treatments, prevention, and ultimately, a cure for all cancers. NFCR has distinguished itself in the cancer research sector by emphasizing “high-risk, high-impact” long-term and transformative pioneering research fields often overlooked by other major funding sources. With the support of more than 5.3 million individual donors over the last 50+ years, NFCR has provided more than $420 million in funding to cancer research, prevention, and public education. NFCR-supported research has led to some of the most significant life-saving discoveries that benefit patients today.
About the Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research
The Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research was established in 2006 by the National Foundation for Cancer Research in honor of its co-founder, Albert Szent-Györgyi, M.D., Ph.D., recipient of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine. The award recognizes outstanding scientists whose seminal discovery or pioneering body of work has contributed to cancer prevention, diagnosis, or treatment and has had a lasting impact on understanding cancer, holding the promise of improving or saving the lives of cancer patients.
Join us in celebrating this year’s laureate by sponsoring the 2025 Global Summit and Award Ceremonies or purchasing your ticket to attend. Your support helps drive the bold collaborations and scientific breakthroughs that make cures possible.
For sponsorship opportunities, please visit: https://www.nfcr.org/events/global-summit-2025/.
Past award recipients (and their associated institutions at the time of the award) are:
- Dennis Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., UCLA Health, 2024
- Isaac P. Witz, Ph. D., Tel Aviv University, 2023
- Rakesh Jain, Ph.D., Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 2022
- Mark M. Davis, Ph.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, and Tak W. Mak, Ph.D., University of Toronto and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, 2021
- Susan Band Horwitz, Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 2020
- Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D., U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2019
- Douglas R. Lowy, M.D., and John T. Schiller, Ph.D., U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2018
- Michael N. Hall, Ph.D., Biozentrum of the University of Basel, 2017
- Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., University of Washington School of Medicine, 2016
- Frederick W. Alt, Ph.D., Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 2015
- James Allison, Ph.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2014 and Nobel Laureate 2018
- Alex Matter, M.D., Experimental Therapeutics Centre and A*STAR, 2013
- Zhu Chen, M.D., Ph.D. and Zhen-Yi Wang, M.D., Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2012
- Beatrice Mintz, Ph.D., Fox Chase Cancer Center, 2011
- Peter K. Vogt, Ph.D., Scripps Research Institute, 2010
- Ronald A. DePinho, M.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, 2009
- Carlo M. Croce, M.D., The Ohio State University, 2008
- Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D., Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of California San Diego, 2007
- Harold F. Dvorak, M.D., Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2006
About the Szent-Györgyi Prize Selection Committee
The 2025 Szent-Györgyi Prize was awarded by a distinguished committee of internationally recognized leaders in cancer research (listed in alphabetical order):
- Chair: Dennis J. Slamon, M.D., Ph.D., University of California Los Angeles
- Co-Chair: Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., National Foundation for Cancer Research
- Steve Baylin, M.D., Johns Hopkins University
- Michele Carbone, M.D., Ph.D., University of Hawaii Cancer Center
- Webster K. Cavenee, Ph.D., Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, University of California San Diego
- Ray DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina
- Benita Katzenellenbogen, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., University of Washington School of Medicine
- Karen Knudsen, Ph.D., Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
- Raju Kucherlapati, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School
- Doug Lowy, M.D., National Cancer Institute
- Funmi Olopade, M.D., The University of Chicago
- Dan Theodorescu, M.D., Ph.D., The University of Arizona Cancer Center
Sponsorship Opportunities
Inquiries regarding sponsorship of this event can be made by e-mail at Sponsorship@nfcr.org or by phone at 1-800-321-CURE (2873). Download the Sponsorship Prospectus.
Media Contact
National Foundation for Cancer Research
Jonathan Larsen, Chief Marketing Officer & Media Contact
E-mail: jlarsen@nfcr.org
