The Children’s Tumor Foundation’s Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award is given to individuals in the professional neurofibromatosis community who have made significant contributions to neurofibromatosis research or clinical care. It is named after Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen (1833-1910), the German physician who first described ‘von Recklinghausen’s disease’ – what we now know as neurofibromatosis type 1.
With great pleasure, the Children’s Tumor Foundation announces the 2021 recipient of the Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award, Prof. Dr. Marco Giovannini (MD, PhD) of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is Professor-in-Residence, Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA, Director of the Neural Tumor Research Laboratory, and member of the Signal Transduction and Therapeutics Program at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also is co-director of the UCLA Multidisciplinary NF Clinic.
As a researcher, Dr. Giovanini has a long-term interest in the genetics and biology of human cancer predisposition and progression. His lab has made significant contributions to the characterization of many major NF tumor suppressors especially NF2, and SMARCB1. The overarching goal of his lab is to effectively translate the discoveries into medicines that will improve the quality and long-term survival of NF2 and schwannomatosis patients. He recognized that the lack of preclinical NF2 and schwannomatosis models present a real roadblock to developing better treatments for patients.
Not only did his lab develop a variety of innovative cell and animal models that faithfully replicate human tumorigenesis, but he is also known to openly share the models with the community and test novel discovery paradigms swiftly.
He is creative, always open to collaborating, and is now in his third year (2019, 2020, 2021) acting as the NF2/ Schwannomatosis mentor to the hackathon participants. This is emblematic of his enthusiasm to share his vast knowledge, not just within the community, but outside of NF to help educate and raise awareness.
We are very proud and delighted to recognize Dr. Giovannini’s significant achievements with the 2021 Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Giovannini for this well-deserved honor.
The Friedrich von Recklinghausen Award is presented during the NF Conference. Click here for more information about the largest annual gathering of NF experts.
