René Bernards (born 4 January 1953) is a Dutch cancer researcher. He is professor of molecular

carcinogenesis Carcinogenesis, also called oncogenesis or tumorigenesis, is the formation of a cancer, whereby normal cell (biology), cells are malignant transformation, transformed into cancer cells. The process is characterized by changes at the cellular, G ...

Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...

and head of the section of molecular carcinogenesis at the

Netherlands Cancer Institute The Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam was founded in 1913 by, among others, the surgeon Jacob Rotgans. The NKI, together with the Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis, is formed into the NKI-AVL, which combines a scientific research inst ...

- Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis. Bernards is a winner of the 2005

Spinoza Prize The Spinoza Prize () is an annual award of 1.5 million euro prize money, to be spent on new research given by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The award is the highest scientific award in the Netherlands. It is named after the philosopher Baruc ...

Career

Bernards was born in

Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the province of North Holland in the Netherlands near Hilversum. Since 2016, Bussum has been part of the new municipality of Gooise Meren. Bussum had a ...

on 4 January 1953. He studied medical biology at the

University of Amsterdam The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, ) is a public university, public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlan ...

. Bernards subsequently obtained his PhD from

Leiden University Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; ) is a Public university, public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. Established in 1575 by William the Silent, William, Prince of Orange as a Protestantism, Protestant institution, it holds the d ...

in 1984 under A.J. van der Eb with a thesis titled: ''Transformation and oncogenicity by human adenoviruses''. He then moved to the United States and was a post doc under Robert Weinberg at the

Whitehead Institute Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a non-profit research institute located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States that is dedicated to improving human health through basic biomedical research. It was founded as a fiscally indep ...

. From 1988 to 1992 Bernards was an assistant professor at

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

. He returned to the Netherlands in 1992 and became head of the section of molecular carcinogenesis at the

- Antoni van Leeuwenhoekziekenhuis. Bernards was named part-time professor of molecular carcinogenesis at

in 1994. In 2003, he was co-founder of the biotechnology company Agendia, where he works as Chief Scientific Officer.

Research

Bernards is known for his work on a personal,

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...

-based, approach to cancer treatment. He has proposed more research in "escape routes" which tumors use, which prevent effective use of medication. He has helped in developing a test to predict the likelihood of recurrent metastatic breast cancer in patients, and the need for medical procedures, such as chemotherapy after surgery.

Honors and distinctions

Bernards was elected a member of the

European Molecular Biology Organization The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 2,100 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds cour ...

in 1995. Bernards was a winner of the

in 2005. The awarding organisation, the

Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research The Dutch Research Council (NWO, Dutch: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek) is the national research council of the Netherlands. NWO funds thousands of top researchers at universities and institutes and steers the course o ...

, specified his "groundbreaking work in the molecular biology and diagnostics of cancer". In 2005, he was also elected a member of

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...

. Bernards was elected a member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to various advisory a ...

in 2007. In 2012, Bernards won the Koningin Wilhelmina Onderzoeksprijs by the Dutch Cancer Society, earning a 2 million euro subsidy. In 2013, he was named as recipient of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Academy Professor Prize, together with

Wil Roebroeks Wil Roebroeks (born 5 May 1955) is the professor of Palaeolithic Archaeology at Leiden University in the Netherlands. He is widely considered to be the pre-eminent Dutch archaeologist. In 2001 he became a member of the influential Royal Netherland ...

. Bernards was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

American Association for Cancer Research The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research. Based in Philadelphia, the AACR focuses on all aspects of cancer research, including Basic research, basic, ...

Academy in 2018. In 2019, he became an international honorary member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other ...

. In 2020 he was elected an international member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

of the United States and became a foreign member of the Royal Society in 2024.

References

External links

Profile of Bernards at the Dutch Cancer Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernards, Rene 1953 births Living people Cancer researchers Carcinogenesis Dutch oncologists Fellows of the AACR Academy Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the Royal Society Leiden University alumni Members of Academia Europaea Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences People from Bussum Spinoza Prize winners University of Amsterdam alumni Academic staff of Utrecht University