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Perspectives on the development of imatinib and the future of cancer research

Nature Medicine volume 15, pages 1149–1152 (2009)Cite this article

Imatinib: a personal history

I am incredibly fortunate. To receive an award from the Lasker Foundation, with its preeminent jury, is indeed an honor. But the greatest reward is seeing patients every week in clinic who have benefitted from my work. The life expectancy of these patients was originally three to five years. They are now leading active and productive lives, and many have been with me for over ten years.

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Figure 1: Members of the Roberts lab.
Figure 2: Survival of patients with CML.
Figure 3: Individuals with CML and their families participating in a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society event.

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Acknowledgements

I am indebted to my wife Alexandra and children, Holden, Julia and Claire for their love and support and the balance they provide to my life. I am extremely appreciative of the assistance from A. Hardy on the writing of this manuscript. This award was made possible by the hundreds of people who have assisted me in my career. This includes all of my current and former laboratory staff, my colleagues and mentors at Oregon Health & Science University, the clinical faculty, and our nurses and data managers. I would like to thank my mentors from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the dedicated scientific and clinical staff at Novartis, who shepherded imatinib through clinical trials. I would also like to thank the numerous investigators who enrolled subjects on our clinical trials. During this time, I have been supported by various funding agencies, including the National Cancer Institute, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the T.J. Martell Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and the American Cancer Society and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. I am grateful for this support. Lastly, I would like to thank my patients who have gone on this incredible journey with me.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Brian J. Druker is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research, and Director of the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute, Portland, Oregon, USA.,

    Brian J Druker

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Correspondence to Brian J Druker.

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Druker, B. Perspectives on the development of imatinib and the future of cancer research. Nat Med 15, 1149–1152 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1009-1149

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