Tony Hunter

Tony Hunter discovered that certain oncoproteins function as protein-tyrosine kinases, establishing phosphorylation of tyrosine as a key mechanism of oncogenic signaling. This discovery was foundational for understanding how numerous oncoproteins including BCR-ABL, EGFR, and HER2 drive malignant transformation and provided the conceptual basis for developing tyrosine kinase inhibitors as cancer therapies. He has continued to make fundamental contributions to understanding protein phosphorylation and ubiquitin regulation in cancer. He is a recipient of the Lasker Award, Wolf Prize, and Royal Medal among many other honors.