Biotechnology Company Regeneron and Journalist and Filmmaker Perri Peltz to Receive the 2018 Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the discovery and development of immunotherapies for all forms of cancer, announced today that it will honor biotechnology company Regeneron, and journalist and filmmaker Perri Peltz with the 2018 Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research. CRI will present the awards at its annual gala celebrating CRI’s 65th birthday, taking place on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at The Metropolitan Club in New York City.

The Oliver R. Grace Award recognizes the contributions of individuals, corporations, and foundations that have made a significant impact on medical research, patient care, or public education in the fields of cancer immunology and immunotherapy.

George D. Yancopoulos, MD, PhD, president and chief scientific officer at Regeneron, will accept the Grace Award in recognition of his company’s success in developing life-transforming medicines, including its highly promising pipeline of immunotherapies for non-small cell lung and cervical cancers as well as squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, among other cancers. The Grace Award also celebrates Regeneron’s belief in the power of science to bring these new medicines to patients, along with its support for the CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference and CRI’s patient education programming, including CRI’s Immunotherapy Patient Summits, Cancer Immunotherapy and You Webinar Series, Immunotherapy Patient Story Videos, and Cancer Immunotherapy Month™.

Journalist and filmmaker Perri Peltz will receive the 2018 Oliver R. Grace Award in recognition of her passion for using broadcast media to spark public conversation about the latest advances in medicine, including cancer immunotherapy, answering a vital need to educate patients and their caregivers about today’s treatment options. The Grace Award also honors her commitment to New York City cancer hospitals, notably the Dubin Breast Center at Mount Sinai, demonstrating her passion for helping cancer patients better understand what is often an overwhelming health crisis. Moreover, CRI will celebrate her unwavering dedication to raising vital funds for young scientists who are accepted into the CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

At the dinner, CRI will also bestow its highest honors upon three scientists for their outstanding contributions to the fields of immunology and tumor immunology. The 2018 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Basic Immunology will go to Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, while the 2018 William B. Coley Award for Distinguished Research in Tumor Immunology will go to Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Boris Reizis, PhD, of the NYU School of Medicine, will receive the 2018 Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology.

Media Contact
Brian M. Brewer, +212.688.7515 x242, [email protected]

About the Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research
This award, established in 1995, recognizes the contributions of dedicated laypersons whose leadership has had a significant impact on cancer research. The award is named in memory of the late Oliver R. Grace, founding chairman of the Cancer Research Institute, whose vision, wisdom, and generosity benefited the Institute for nearly 40 years. Former Grace Award winners include: Bill Anderson, CEO of Genentech, and philanthropist and New York City real estate developer Bruce Ratner (2017); Robert A. Bradway, chairman and CEO of Amgen (2016); Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and CEO of Merck & Co., and philanthropist Lauren Veronis (2015), Murdo Gordon, executive vice president and chief commercial officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, and Jacques C. Nordeman, chairman, Nordeman Grimm, Inc. (2014); Sean Parker, serial tech entrepreneur and philanthropist (2013); Bahija Jallal, PhD, executive vice president, AstraZeneca, and head of MedImmune (2013); Mark P. Frissora, former Hertz Corporation chairman and CEO (2012); Mitchell H. Gold, MD, former CEO, Dendreon Corporation (2011); American fashion designer Michael Kors (2010); Andrew Witty, former CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (2010); Fred Hassan, former chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough Corporation (2009); the late Wade F.B. Thompson, chairman, CEO, and co-founder of Thor Industries (2007); Julian H. Robertson Jr., chairman, Tiger Management LLC (2006); and journalist Katie Couric (2002). To view a complete list of Grace Award recipients, go to https://www.cancerresearch.org/our-impact/hall-of-cancer-heroes/oliver-r-grace-award.

About Cancer Research Institute
The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), established 65 years ago in 1953, is the world’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to transforming cancer patient care by advancing scientific efforts to develop new and effective immune system-based strategies to prevent, diagnose, treat, and eventually cure all cancers. Guided by a world-renowned Scientific Advisory Council that includes three Nobel laureates and 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, CRI has invested $384 million in support of research conducted by immunologists and tumor immunologists at the world’s leading medical centers and universities and has contributed to many of the key scientific advances that demonstrate the potential for immunotherapy to change the face of cancer treatment. To learn more, go to cancerresearch.org.