Paul Marks Prize 2025: Celebrating Next-Generation Leaders in Cancer Science

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has announced the recipients of the 2025 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research — Dr. Omar Abdel-Wahab of MSK, Dr. Andrea Ablasser of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), and Dr. Christina Curtis of the Stanford University School of Medicine. The prize, which honours the late Dr. Paul Marks in recognition of his visionary leadership at MSK, celebrates outstanding early- and mid-career investigators whose work is advancing our understanding of cancer or improving its treatment.

About Paul Marks Prize 2025

The Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research is awarded biennially (every two years) to up to three investigators aged 50 or younger at the time of nomination, selected for their significant contributions to cancer science or clinical translation. Winners share a monetary award and are invited to present their work at a scientific symposium hosted by MSK.

2025 Recipients and Their Contributions

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	Dr. Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD (MSK) Dr. Abdel-Wahab is an attending physician on the Leukemia Service at MSK and Chair of the Molecular Pharmacology Program at the Sloan Kettering Institute. He also serves as Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and holds the Evnin Family Molecular Pharmacology Chair at MSK. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center His work focuses on the functional consequences of mutations in RNA-splicing genes, which are frequently found in hematologic malignancies. His research has advanced new therapeutic approaches in blood cancers, including the development of FDA-approved drugs and trials of targeted therapies and immunotherapy approaches. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
	Dr. Andrea Ablasser, MD (EPFL) Dr. Ablasser is a full professor at EPFL’s School of Life Sciences and co-founder of the biotech company IFM Due (acquired by Novartis in 2024). She is widely recognized for elucidating the cGAS/STING innate-immune signalling pathway, particularly identifying the messenger molecule cGAMP and its role in immune sensing of aberrant DNA inside cells , a mechanism relevant both to cancer and inflammatory diseases. actu.epfl.ch+1 Her discoveries have spurred novel immunotherapy strategies and drug development targeting STING biology.
	Dr. Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc (Stanford University) Dr. Curtis holds the RZ Cao Professor of Medicine, Genetics and Biomedical Data Science at Stanford and serves as Senior Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Medicine. She directs AI and cancer-genomics programmes and breast-cancer translational research at the Stanford Cancer Institute. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Her pioneering work in computational biology, including the “Big Bang” model of tumour evolution — has reshaped our understanding of tumour growth dynamics. She also has driven precision oncology efforts by defining breast-cancer subtypes and leveraging artificial-intelligence-powered modelling to guide clinical trial design.

Significance for Cancer Research and Clinical Practice

This year’s laureates reflect the prize’s core mission: bridging rigorous basic science with translational impact. Dr. Abdel-Wahab exemplifies this integration in hematologic malignancies; Dr. Ablasser’s innate-immunity discoveries have broad implications for cancer immunotherapy and beyond; and Dr. Curtis’ computational-biology work is advancing data-driven precision oncology.
Their recognition underscores a few important trends in oncology research:

The emphasis on targeting RNA-splicing and gene-regulation abnormalities in blood cancers.The growing importance of innate-immune pathways (e.g., cGAS/STING) as therapeutic targets in cancer and immune-disease intersection. The accelerating role of computational biology, artificial intelligence and tumour-evolution modelling in defining new biomarkers, treatment strategies, and trial designs.
For oncology professionals, these areas represent key fronts of innovation that may influence future research priorities, clinical trials and ultimately patient care paradigms.

What’s Next for the Paul Marks Laureates

The winners will present their work at a symposium hosted by MSK on 4 December 2025. actu.epfl.ch+1 As the field continues to evolve, the contributions of these three investigators can be expected to catalyse future translational efforts, deepen mechanistic understanding, and drive therapeutic advances. As noted by MSK President & CEO Dr. Selwyn M. Vickers,

“All three of these winners embody the spirit of Dr. Paul Marks: Each has led remarkable research that is deeply grounded in scientific rigor and at the same time has a significant impact on how we care for cancer patients.”

Inspiring the Next Generation of Cancer Innovators

The 2025 Paul Marks Prize recipients –  Drs. Abdel-Wahab, Ablasser and Curtis , epresent a new generation of cancer-research leaders whose work spans molecular genetics, immunology and computational oncology. Their recognition highlights the evolving landscape of cancer research, where deep mechanistic insight and translational focus converge. For practitioners, investigators and early-career oncologists alike, their careers provide models of excellence in bridging bench to bedside.

Written by Nare Hovhannisyan, MD