Andrea Califano, Dr, Elected Fellow of the AACR Academy

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) announced its newly elected class of Fellows of the AACR Academy. One of the 30 newly elected fellows, Andrea Califano, Dr, was recognized for his pioneering research efforts in systems biology dedicated to developing methods that combine computational biology and cancer pharmacology approaches to model cancer cell regulatory networks. Specifically, Califano developed the first genome-wide regulatory model of human cells and novel network-based approach for identifying master regulators of cancer maintenance and tumor progression, leading to new ways to approach cancer therapies, including novel 'N of 1' clinical trials.

"Dr. Califano's work on master regulators has been pivotal in the field of cancer research, particularly in rapid translation to clinical trials," says Anil K. Rustgi, MD, Herbert and Florence Irving Director of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC), where Califano is a member. "His approach to cancer research is innovative and inspirational."

Fellows of the AACR Academy serve as a global brain trust of top contributors to cancer science and medicine who help advance the mission of the AACR to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration, science policy and advocacy, and funding for cancer research.

All fellows are nominated and elected through an annual, multistep peer review process that involves a rigorous assessment of each candidate’s scientific accomplishments in cancer research and cancer-related sciences. Only individuals whose work has had a significant and enduring impact on cancer research are considered for election and induction into the AACR Academy.

Califano is the Clyde and Helen Wu Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. He recently stepped down from his positions as Founding Chair of the Department of Systems Biologyand Director of the Columbia Genome Center to take a new role as the President of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York. He is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB), recipient of the 2015 and 2022 NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (R35), the 2019 Ruth Leff prize in pancreatic cancer research, and the 2023 Alfred G. Knudson prize in Cancer Genetics. 

Read the full press release from the AACR here.