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Jul 13, 2016

Alfred G. Knudson Jr., geneticist who decoded a mystery of cancer, dies at 93

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, genetics, neuroscience

Alfred G. Knudson Jr., a medical researcher who helped decode a mystery of cancer — using genetics, mathematics and intuition to explain how and why certain forms of the disease attack — died July 10 at his home in Philadelphia. He was 93.

His death was announced by the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where Dr. Knudson had served as president, scientific director and in other capacities since joining the institution in 1976. He had heart ailments and dementia, said his wife, Anna Meadows, a pediatric oncologist.

Dr. Knudson was among the most renowned researchers in his field, with honors including a 1998 Lasker Award, commonly known as the American Nobel, and a 2004 Kyoto Prize recognizing him for a discovery that “opened a new horizon in modern cancer genetics and played a pivotal role in the major developments” in cancer research.

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