| Medical Faculty Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt |
Press release from the Institute of Biochemistry II
April 5th, 2006
Ivan Dikic receives 26th AACR Award
for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research
Dr. Ivan Dikic (39), professor at Goethe University Medical School received the 26th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research. Dr. Dikic is the first scientist from Europe who was honored by this prestigious recognition. This Award is given to a young investigator (under 40 years of age) on the basis of meritorious achievement in cancer research. The prize was awarded on April 4th, 2006 at the annual meeting of AACR in Washington DC where 17 000 scientists from around the world gathered.
Dr. Dikic is honored for his groundbreaking contribution to the field of growth factor receptor signaling. Through this work, Dr. Dikic has propelled a major advancement of our current understanding of the molecular machinery, which along with the ubiquitylation, controls the intracellular trafficking of ligand-engaged and –activated growth factor receptors. The AACR also credited Dr. Dikic’s dedication to the education of young scientists, through active participation in teaching programs and as a founder of the Dubrovnik signaling conferences.
Ivan Dikic graduated at the Medical School University of Zagreb, Croatia in 1991. He next joined the laboratory of Dr. Joseph Schlessinger in New York, where he completed his Ph.D. and postdoctoral training (1992-1997). From 1997-2003 Dr. Dikic led a research group at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Uppsala, Sweden. In 2003, Dr. Dikic was appointed a professor at the Goethe University Medical School in Frankfurt, Germany.
Prof. Dikic has published more than 70 scientific manuscripts in prestigious journals and has received a number of international distinctions for his research including the Binder Innovation prize (Braunschweig, 2006), elected a member of EMBO (2004), the Fernstrom Price (Lund, 2002), the Swedish Strategic Fund award (Stockholm, 2000), the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds award (Stuttgart, 1997). His current research interests are focused on the emerging role of ubiquitin and Ub-like modifiers as signalling devices controlling intracellular trafficking, gene transcription and DNA repair.