The AHEPA Fifth District Cancer Research Foundation Board is proud to announce its unanimous selection of Dr. Yibin Kang, Ph.D., as the 2013 recipient of the AXIOS Award in Cancer Research.
Dr. Kang is the Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fudan University in Shanghai in 1995, followed by a Ph.D. from Duke University in 2000. He then completed postdoctoral research as an Irvington Institute fellow with Dr. Joan Massagué at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he pioneered a functional genomic approach to studying the mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis.
In 2004, Dr. Kang joined the Princeton faculty as an Assistant Professor of Molecular Biology. He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2010 and to Endowed Chair Full Professor in 2012. His research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer metastasis, using a multidisciplinary approach that combines molecular biology and genomics with animal models and advanced in vivo imaging technologies.
Over his career, Dr. Kang has published more than 90 original research articles in leading journals including Cell, Cancer Cell, and Nature Medicine. His groundbreaking work has identified new genes that drive recurrence, metastasis, and chemoresistance in breast cancer; revealed critical tumor–stromal interactions that enable metastatic growth; and uncovered novel regulators involved in both mammary gland cell fate determination and tumor progression.
Dr. Kang’s achievements have been recognized with numerous honors, including the Department of Defense Era of Hope Scholar Award, the 2011 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Sciences, and the 2012 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievements in Cancer Research.
The AXIOS Award, presented by the AHEPA Fifth District Cancer Research Foundation, honors individuals whose humanitarian dedication and scientific contributions have advanced the search for a cure for cancer, carried out with selflessness and devotion in the name of humanity.