BETHESDA, Md., April 29, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Massachusetts Sen. Edward J. Markey will deliver the keynote address tonight at the award ceremony for the 2015 Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research to be held at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Markey will celebrate the achievements of one of Massachusetts' premier scientists and call on the Congress to bolster support for cancer research and the NIH.

The annual prize, given by the National Foundation for Cancer Research, is being awarded to Frederick Alt, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and Director of the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital.

Dr. Alt's groundbreaking work in cancer genetics over four decades has helped to shape the very roots of modern cancer research. His work continues to bear fruit, profoundly impacting the approaches doctors around the globe use to diagnose and treat cancer. In particular, his seminal discoveries of gene amplification and his pioneering work on molecular mechanisms of DNA damage repair have helped to usher in the era of genetically-targeted therapy and personalized medicine.

"I am truly honored to be selected by the National Foundation for Cancer Research to receive this award, and I am humbled to stand with past winners of the Szent-Györgyi Prize." said Dr. Alt. "Cancer is a complex and terrible disease, but with each new discovery we are making it less mysterious, more understandable, and ultimately less deadly. We are making progress."

"Dr. Alt's work has uncovered and explained some of the most foundational chemistry of life, and throughout his career he has always been focused on the implications for cancer. His vision and talent were instrumental in bringing cancer research into the modern era, and we are proud to present him with this award," said Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., Co-chair of the 2015 Szent-Györgyi Prize Selection Committee and President of NFCR.

The Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research was established by the National Foundation for Cancer Research in honor of its co-founder, Albert Szent-Györgyi, M.D., Ph.D., recipient of the 1937 Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine.

About the National Foundation for Cancer Research

The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is a leading charity dedicated to funding cancer research and public education relating to cancer prevention, earlier diagnosis, better treatments and, ultimately, cures for cancer. NFCR promotes and facilitates collaboration among scientists to accelerate the pace of discovery from bench to bedside.

Since 1973, NFCR has provided more than $320 million in direct support of discovery-oriented cancer research focused on understanding how and why cells become cancerous, and on public education relating to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. NFCR scientists are discovering cancer's molecular mysteries and translating these discoveries into therapies that hold the hope for curing cancer. NFCR is about Research for a Cure—cures for all types of cancer.  For more information, please visit www.NFCR.org.

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SOURCE National Foundation for Cancer Research