Judah Folkman

Judah Folkman proposed the concept that tumors require angiogenesis for growth beyond 1-2 mm in diameter, a paradigm that was initially controversial but ultimately proved transformative. His decades of research on angiogenic regulators including VEGF, endostatin, and angiostatin laid the scientific foundation for bevacizumab and a class of anti-angiogenic drugs that are now standard cancer therapies. He inspired a generation of angiogenesis researchers and showed the power of pursuing unconventional ideas. Though he passed away in 2008, his legacy shapes modern oncology.