Royal Society awards two Sanger scientists
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Announced today (28 August), Professor Sir Mike Stratton, FMedSci FRS, has received the Royal Medal (Biological) for his foundational work in cancer genomics, while Professor Sam Behjati has been awarded the Francis Crick Medal and Lecture for his discoveries on the developmental origins of childhood cancers.
They are among 25 Medal and Award winners recognised this year by the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences.
Mike is currently a senior group leader and formerly Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. He is also Mutographs team lead at Cancer Grand Challenges. He has been awarded the Royal Medal for his transformative work in cancer genomics, including the discovery of cancer-causing genes and the identification of mutational signatures that have revolutionised understanding of cancer.
Mike established the Cancer Genome Project in 2000 to use the newly sequenced human genome as a template on which to systematically sequence cancer genomes. This work led to the discovery of mutated cancer genes, such as BRAF, on the basis of which novel targeted cancer therapies were developed, and to uncovering the mutational signatures of the environmental exposures and endogenous mutational processes that cause cancer in the first place. His research also includes the discovery of the breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA2, and the sequencing of the first complete cancer genome.
“I am extremely honoured and humbled to be considered amongst the amazing scientists who have previously been awarded the Royal Medal by the Royal Society, and wish to voice my gratitude to those who nominated me and decided on the award. The news of the Award immediately brought into my head the assembly of faces and voices of colleagues I’ve had in over 40 years in scientific research; PhD students, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff Scientists, team members in or out of the laboratory supporting the whole enterprise, senior colleagues with whom big ideas have been shared, chewed over and acted on, and those who have advised, mentored and supported me. I am deeply grateful for the multitude of conversations we have had together, the furrowed brows at difficult junctures, the sparkling eyes at moments of epiphany, and the profound, generally unspoken, collective commitment to the extraordinary work of the human imagination that is the pursuit of knowledge about the natural world and its capability to bring benefits and hope to people with cancer.”
Professor Sir Mike Stratton, FMedSci FRS senior group leader and former Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute
Sam is a Wellcome Senior Research Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Clinical Professor of Paediatric Oncology at the University of Cambridge and practising consultant at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He has been awarded with the Francis Crick Medal and invited to deliver the associated Lecture for his fundamental discoveries on the developmental origins of childhood cancers.
Sam’s research combines single-cell transcriptomics and cancer genomics to unravel the identity and origin of cancer cells, specifically childhood cancer, with the aim of improving diagnostics and treatments.
In his clinical research role, he ensures that every child with a solid tumour in his region receives whole-genome sequencing, which allows for more precise diagnoses and targeted therapies.
“I am humbled and grateful to be awarded this prize by the Royal Society. I am very fortunate to have been supervised by two masters of the trade, Mike Stratton and Peter Campbell. I would not be where I am today without their teaching and support. I now have a team of inventive, driven and kind people from different corners of the world, all united by a love of collaborative discovery science. It is a delight to see our group’s basic research into childhood cancer genetics recognised as worthy of this honour.”
Professor Sam Behjati Wellcome Senior Research Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Oncologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital
“The scope of scientific knowledge and experience in this year’s line-up is amazing. These outstanding researchers, individuals and teams have contributed to our collective scientific endeavour and helped further our understanding of the world around us. I am proud to celebrate outstanding science and offer my congratulations to all the 2024 recipients of the Royal Society’s Medals and Awards.”
Sir Adrian Smith President of the Royal Society
More information
More information
Find the full list of 2024 winners here: https://royalsociety.org/medals-and-prizes/
About the Royal Society
The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine. The Society’s fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity. http://royalsociety.org
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