René Bernards (born 4 January 1953) is a Dutch cancer researcher. He is professor of molecular

carcinogenesis Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, genetic, and epigenetic levels and abno ...

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; nl, Universiteit Utrecht, formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2018, it had an enrollme ...

and head of the section of molecular carcinogenesis at the

Netherlands Cancer Institute The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam was founded in 1913 by, among others, the surgeon Jacob Rotgans. The NKI, together with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis, is formed into the NKI-AVL, which combines a scientific research i ...

Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis The Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis is a hospital in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, that specialises in oncology: the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The hospital forms one half of a combined organisation with the Netherlands Cancer Institute ...

. Bernards is a winner of the 2005

Spinoza Prize The Spinoza Prize ( nl, Spinozapremie) is an annual award of 2.5 million euro, to be spent on new research given by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The award is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. It is named after the philosopher ...

Career

Bernards was born in

Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands near Hilversum. Since 2016, Bussum has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren. Bussum had ...

on 4 January 1953. He studied medical biology at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being ...

. Bernards subsequently obtained his PhD from

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince o ...

in 1984 under A.J. van der Eb with a thesis titled: ''Transformation and oncogenicity by human adenoviruses''. He then moved to the United States and was a post doc under Robert Weinberg at the

Whitehead Institute Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a non-profit research institute located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States that is dedicated to improving human health through basic biomedical research. It was founded as a fiscally indepen ...

. From 1988 to 1992 Bernards was an assistant professor at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

. He returned to the Netherlands in 1992 and became head of the section of molecular carcinogenesis at the

. Bernards was named part-time professor of molecular carcinogenesis at

in 1994. In 2003 he was co-founder of the biotechnology company Agendia, where he works as Chief Scientific Officer.

Research

Bernards is known for his work on a personal, DNA-based, approach to cancer treatment. He has proposed more research in "escape routes" which tumors use, which prevent effective use of medication. He has helped in developing a test to predict the likelihood of recurrent metastatic breast cancer in patients, and the need for medical procedures, such as chemotherapy after surgery.

Honors and distinctions

Bernards was elected a member of the

European Molecular Biology Organization The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 1,800 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds cour ...

in 1995. Bernards was a winner of the

in 2005. The awarding organisation, the

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research The Dutch Research Council (NWO, Dutch: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek) is the national research council of the Netherlands. NWO funds thousands of top researchers at universities and institutes and steers the course o ...

, specified his "groundbreaking work in the molecular biology and diagnostics of cancer". In 2005 he was also elected a member of

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of Humanities, Letters, Law, and Sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europea ...

. Bernards was elected a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 2007. In 2012 Bernards won the Koningin Wilhelmina Onderzoeksprijs by the

Dutch Cancer Society The Dutch Cancer Society (DCS; in Dutch: '' 'KWF Kankerbestrijding' '') is a Dutch Society committed to fight cancer by scientific research, education, patient support and fundraising in cooperation with volunteers, donors, patients, doctors and res ...

, earning a 2 million euro subsidy. In 2013 he was named as recipient of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Academy Professor Prize, together with

Wil Roebroeks Wil Roebroeks (born 5 May 1955) is the professor of Palaeolithic Archaeology at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is widely considered to be the pre-eminent Dutch archaeologist. In 2001 he became a member of the influential Royal Netherla ...

. Bernards was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the American Association for Cancer Research Academy in 2018. In 2019 he became an international honorary member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

. In 2020 he was elected an international member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

of the United States.

References

External links

Profile of Bernards at the Dutch Cancer Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernards, Rene 1953 births Living people Cancer researchers Carcinogenesis Dutch oncologists Fellows of the AACR Academy Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Leiden University alumni Members of Academia Europaea Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Bussum Spinoza Prize winners University of Amsterdam alumni Utrecht University faculty