Hans Clevers

Hans Clevers identified LGR5 as a marker of intestinal stem cells and demonstrated that Wnt pathway activation in these stem cells drives colorectal cancer initiation, providing the definitive link between normal stem cell self-renewal and cancer stem cell biology. He invented organoid culture technology that enables growth of patient-derived tumor organoids preserving cancer stem cell hierarchies for drug screening. His work showed that Wnt pathway mutations in APC and beta-catenin convert normal stem cells into cancer stem cells. His discoveries have established Wnt signaling as a central therapeutic target for eliminating cancer stem cells.