Alfred G. Knudson

Alfred George Knudson, Jr. ( born August 9, 1922 in Los Angeles ) is an American geneticist and oncologist. His most important contribution in this area is named after him Knudsonhypothese, which deals with the effect of mutations on the development of cancer.

Knudson received his BS degree from the California Institute of Technology in 1944 and his MD three years later from Columbia University. He received his doctorate in 1956 at CalTech. In the period 1953-1954 he was a Fellow of the Guggenheim Foundation. Until 1976 he worked at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia.

For his work he received numerous awards and honors, including the Charles S. Mott Prize in 1988, the William Allan Award in 1991, a Canada Gairdner International Award in 1997, the Albert Lasker Award for Clinical Medical Research in 1998 and 2004, a Kyoto Prize. In 1999 he received the " Distinguished Career Award" from the American Society of Pediatric Hematology / Oncology ( ASPHO ) and in 2005 the "Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research " of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR ). Knudson is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.