Douglas Hanahan

Douglas Hanahan is an Honorary Professor at EPFL's School of Life Sciences (SV), holding the Merck Serono Chair in Oncology. He leads the Hanahan Lab, focused on translational oncology, investigating tumor development using genetically engineered mouse models. His work emphasizes tumor microenvironment dynamics, immune evasion mechanisms, and therapeutic strategies targeting cancer hallmarks.

• Education:
  • Bachelor's in Physics (MIT, 1976)
  • PhD in Biophysics (Harvard, 1983)
• Affiliations:
  • EPFL SV ISREC Institute
  • Former faculty at UCSF (1988–2010)

Research interests include mechanisms of tumorigenesis, resistance to therapies, and the interplay between cancer cells and their microenvironment. Notable contributions include defining cancer hallmarks and identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities in glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, and HPV-associated malignancies.

Scientific Awards:

• Member, American Academy of Arts & Sciences (2007)
• Institute of Medicine (2008)
• US National Academy of Sciences (2009)
• EMBO (2010)
• Honorary Degree from University of Dundee (2011)

Advising & Grants: Supervised numerous doctoral students and postdocs, with grants focusing on translational oncology and immunotherapy. Key collaborations include projects on tumor immunology and drug resistance mechanisms.

Labs/Teams: Head of the Hanahan Lab at EPFL, specializing in preclinical models and mechanism-guided therapies. Active in training the next generation of cancer researchers.