Janet Rowley

Janet Rowley was the cytogenetics pioneer who identified specific chromosomal translocations in acute myeloid leukemia, including t(15;17) in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and t(8;21) in AML, establishing that cancer arises from recurrent, non-random chromosome rearrangements that create fusion oncogenes. Her findings in APL directly led to the development of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) targeting PML-RARA, one of the first molecularly targeted cancer therapies and a curative treatment. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Lasker Award before her death in 2013.