Dr. Craig B. Thompson stands as a preeminent figure in cancer biology whose leadership and scientific vision have profoundly shaped modern oncology research. Currently serving as the Benno C. Schmidt Chair of Cancer Research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, he leads an active research laboratory at the Sloan Kettering Institute while maintaining his position in the Department of Medicine. After earning his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, he completed clinical training in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and medical oncology training at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. From 2010 to 2022, Dr. Thompson served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, guiding the institution through a transformative period that saw remarkable advances in immunotherapy and precision cancer medicine.
Dr. Thompson's seminal contributions to understanding cellular metabolism and immune regulation have fundamentally altered cancer research and therapeutic approaches. His long-standing collaboration with Dr. Carl H. June on T lymphocyte activation provided the critical foundation for the development of CAR-T cell immunotherapy, which has revolutionized treatment for multiple blood cancers. As one of the first researchers to characterize the immune checkpoint CTLA-4, his work paved the way for the revolutionary immunotherapy class that has transformed cancer treatment paradigms. Together with Dr. Stanley J. Korsmeyer, he made seminal contributions to elucidating the molecular mechanisms of programmed cell death, knowledge that has become integral to virtually every field of medicine. His identification of reprogrammed metabolism as a hallmark of cancer has directly led to innovative clinical approaches for both diagnosis and treatment of malignancies.
As a member of both the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Thompson has exerted profound influence on the trajectory of cancer research worldwide. His laboratory continues to investigate the molecular signaling pathways that regulate nutrient uptake and their role in cell growth and survival, with implications for numerous disease processes beyond cancer. Recognized with the prestigious 2024 August M. Watanabe Prize in Translational Research, his work exemplifies the successful translation of basic scientific discoveries into clinical applications that benefit patients. Dr. Thompson remains actively engaged in mentoring the next generation of cancer researchers while pursuing groundbreaking investigations into the metabolic underpinnings of cancer, ensuring his continued impact on advancing our understanding and treatment of this complex disease.
