On Tuesday, 4 February, on the occasion of World Cancer Day, Professor Fabrice Barlesi, Gustave Roussy’s General Director, presented the Gustave Roussy Prize to Professor Charles Swanton during a ceremony held at the Théâtre du Lido in Paris, in the presence of Madame Sylvie Retailleau, former Minister of Higher Education and Research, and Monsieur Gérard Mourou, 2018 Nobel Laureate in Physics. The jury members unanimously recognised his remarkable and innovative scientific contributions among a highly competitive pool of candidates, as well as his vision and leadership in large-scale collaborative projects.
"Through his ground-breaking work, Charles Swanton has transformed precision medicine and cancer care, impacting millions of lives worldwide. His discoveries continue to guide diagnostic and treatment strategies in the fight against this complex disease," stated Professor Fabrice Barlesi.
Launched in 2024 and supported by Pierre Fabre Laboratories as a founding sponsor along with the Gustave Roussy Foundation, this prize, endowed with €200,000, aims to reward, each year, a researcher whose scientific discoveries have had a major impact on the care of cancer patients.
"It is a tremendous honour for the Gustave Roussy Foundation to award this first prize to a renowned researcher whose advances are shaping the future of cancer research. This commitment fully aligns with our mission: to create the conditions for world-class research to turn hope into cure and to take on the challenge of curing cancer by the end of the century," added Sébastien Bazin, President of the Gustave Roussy Foundation.
"We are immensely proud to be the main partner of the new Gustave Roussy Prize. We extend our congratulations to its first laureate and express our admiration for his major breakthroughs in cancer research. Professor Swanton’s work has transformed our understanding of tumour mechanisms and paved the way for immense therapeutic advances in oncology. Thanks to Professor Swanton, his teams, and his peers, targeted therapies are revolutionising the treatment of many patients, and we are proud to be part of this therapeutic revolution," said Eric Ducournau, Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Fabre Laboratories.
From Discoveries to Concrete Applications
Professor Charles Swanton has revolutionised the scientific and medical understanding of cancer at all stages of disease development, from initiation to progression, metastasis, and immune evasion. He has helped lay the foundations of precision medicine and opened new perspectives in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, with tangible applications for all patients.
His research has established that tumours consist of genetically distinct subpopulations of cells, evolving according to predictable mechanisms. This discovery led to the identification of truncal mutations – common to all tumour cells – as priority therapeutic targets. Furthermore, Professor Swanton has contributed to a better understanding of cancer immune surveillance. By identifying the key role of clonal neoantigens – proteins specific to tumour cells – in the immune response, his research paves the way for vaccines and cell therapies capable of precisely targeting these neoantigens.
Professor Swanton has also highlighted the central role of chromosomal instability in cancer evolution, referring to the propensity of tumour cells to accumulate abnormalities in chromosome number or structure. He demonstrated that this genetic instability generates diversity, enabling tumours to resist treatments, metastasise, and evade the immune system. In parallel, his research has revealed how the enzyme APOBEC, a protein that modifies DNA by causing mutations, contributes to tumour progression and resistance to targeted therapies.
Finally, Charles Swanton's scientific contributions have helped elucidate how environmental factors such as fine particle pollution and inflammatory processes linked to ageing promote the onset and progression of lung cancer. These discoveries reinforce the urgency of reducing urban pollution and developing molecular prevention strategies.
"Through his ground-breaking work, Charles Swanton has transformed precision medicine and cancer care, impacting millions of lives worldwide. His discoveries continue to guide diagnostic and treatment strategies in the fight against this complex disease," stated Professor Fabrice Barlesi.
Launched in 2024 and supported by Pierre Fabre Laboratories as a founding sponsor along with the Gustave Roussy Foundation, this prize, endowed with €200,000, aims to reward, each year, a researcher whose scientific discoveries have had a major impact on the care of cancer patients.
"It is a tremendous honour for the Gustave Roussy Foundation to award this first prize to a renowned researcher whose advances are shaping the future of cancer research. This commitment fully aligns with our mission: to create the conditions for world-class research to turn hope into cure and to take on the challenge of curing cancer by the end of the century," added Sébastien Bazin, President of the Gustave Roussy Foundation.
"We are immensely proud to be the main partner of the new Gustave Roussy Prize. We extend our congratulations to its first laureate and express our admiration for his major breakthroughs in cancer research. Professor Swanton’s work has transformed our understanding of tumour mechanisms and paved the way for immense therapeutic advances in oncology. Thanks to Professor Swanton, his teams, and his peers, targeted therapies are revolutionising the treatment of many patients, and we are proud to be part of this therapeutic revolution," said Eric Ducournau, Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Fabre Laboratories.
From Discoveries to Concrete Applications
Professor Charles Swanton has revolutionised the scientific and medical understanding of cancer at all stages of disease development, from initiation to progression, metastasis, and immune evasion. He has helped lay the foundations of precision medicine and opened new perspectives in cancer diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, with tangible applications for all patients.
His research has established that tumours consist of genetically distinct subpopulations of cells, evolving according to predictable mechanisms. This discovery led to the identification of truncal mutations – common to all tumour cells – as priority therapeutic targets. Furthermore, Professor Swanton has contributed to a better understanding of cancer immune surveillance. By identifying the key role of clonal neoantigens – proteins specific to tumour cells – in the immune response, his research paves the way for vaccines and cell therapies capable of precisely targeting these neoantigens.
Professor Swanton has also highlighted the central role of chromosomal instability in cancer evolution, referring to the propensity of tumour cells to accumulate abnormalities in chromosome number or structure. He demonstrated that this genetic instability generates diversity, enabling tumours to resist treatments, metastasise, and evade the immune system. In parallel, his research has revealed how the enzyme APOBEC, a protein that modifies DNA by causing mutations, contributes to tumour progression and resistance to targeted therapies.
Finally, Charles Swanton's scientific contributions have helped elucidate how environmental factors such as fine particle pollution and inflammatory processes linked to ageing promote the onset and progression of lung cancer. These discoveries reinforce the urgency of reducing urban pollution and developing molecular prevention strategies.
Here is the link: https://youtu.be/E7RK28sgXJc
About Professor Charles Swanton
After earning an MB PhD from University College London (UCL) in 1999, Professor Charles Swanton pursued an outstanding career, notably as a clinician-scientist at Cancer Research UK. In 2011, he was appointed Chair in Personalised Cancer Medicine at UCL, and two years later, he took the helm of the "Cancer Evolution and Genome Instability" laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute, where he became Deputy Clinical Director in 2023. He is also the principal investigator of TRACERx, a major programme aimed at deciphering lung cancer evolution.
Professor Charles Swanton has co-authored nearly 400 scientific publications, including several as lead or senior author in top-tier journals. He also serves on the editorial board of prestigious journals such as Cell, Annals of Oncology, and Cancer Discovery, and is a member of major international scientific societies, including the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Background on Gustave Roussy
Ranked as the leading French and European Cancer Centre and fourth in the world, Gustave Roussy is a centre with comprehensive expertise and is devoted entirely to patients suffering with cancer with a strong commitment to research led by the Gustave Roussy Foundation. The Institute is a founding member of the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster. It is a source of diagnostic and therapeutic advances. It caters for almost 50,000 patients per year and its approach is one that integrates prevention, research, patient care and teaching. It is specialized in the treatment of rare cancers and complex tumors and it treats all cancers in patients of any age. Its care is personalized and combines the most advanced medical methods with an appreciation of the patient’s human requirements. In addition to the quality of treatment offered, the physical, psychological and social aspects of the patient’s life are respected. 4,100 professionals work on its two campuses: Villejuif and Chevilly-Larue. Gustave Roussy and its Foundation brings together the skills, which are essential for the highest quality research in oncology: 40% of patients treated are included in clinical studies.
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