Hans Clevers

Hans Clevers identified LGR5 as a definitive marker of intestinal stem cells and demonstrated that Wnt signaling aberrations through APC mutations convert normal stem cells into cancer stem cells that drive colorectal tumor initiation and maintenance. His invention of organoid culture technology revolutionized cancer research by enabling growth of patient-derived tumor organoids that faithfully recapitulate cancer stem cell hierarchies and drug responses. His work on R-spondin-LGR5-Wnt amplification circuits revealed how cancer stem cells hijack physiological stem cell self-renewal mechanisms for unlimited proliferation.