CITATIONS
Short Citation
Stephen J. Elledge, Gregor Mendel Professor of Genetics and Medicine in the Department of Genetics at
Harvard Medical School and in the Division of Genetics at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and
Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, for elucidating how eukaryotic cells sense and
respond to damage in their DNA and providing insights into the development and treatment of cancer.
Long Citation
Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
Stephen J. Elledge, PhD
Age: 60
Nationality: American
Institution: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Howard Hughes Medical
Institute
Citation: For elucidating how eukaryotic cells sense and respond to damage in their DNA and providing
insights into the development and treatment of cancer.
Contributions
Stephen Elledge is a geneticist who has made discoveries across an unusually wide range of fields,
including cell division, cell senescence, cancer growth and protein degradation (the breaking down and
recycling of proteins in the cell); as well as designing new technological tools, such as a test that reveals
any human viruses an individual has ever had from a single drop of blood.
The Elledge lab identified ATR and ATRIP, proteins which act as DNA damage sensors. They home in on
the single-stranded DNA that often results from mutations, and trigger a cascade of molecular signals
that result in repair of the damage or arrest of cell division. Errors in this ‘DNA damage response
pathway’ can allow mutated DNA to replicate, increasing the risk of cancer. Elledge also discovered that
the protein ATM triggers another protein, BRCA1, to repair DNA damage. Mutations in ATM and BRCA1
together may account for nearly 10 % of all breast cancers.
About Breakthrough Prize
For the fifth year, the Breakthrough Prizes will recognize the world’s top scientists. Each prize is $3
million and presented in the fields of Life Sciences (up to five per year), Fundamental Physics (up to one
per year) and Mathematics (up to one per year). In addition, up to three New Horizons in Physics and up
to three New Horizons in Mathematics Prizes are given out to junior researchers each year. Laureates
attend a televised awards ceremony designed to celebrate their achievements and inspire the next
generation of scientists. As part of the ceremony schedule, they also engage in a program of lectures
and discussions. The Breakthrough Prizes were founded by Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark
Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, and Yuri and Julia Milner. Selection Committees composed of previous
Breakthrough Prize laureates choose the winners. Information on the Breakthrough Prizes is available at
www.breakthroughprize.org.