Scott Lowe

Dr. Lowe is a member of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and an Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He is also chair of the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center at MSKCC. Dr. Lowe received his Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Ph.D. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He started his independent research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he eventually became Director of the Cancer Center. He joined Memorial Sloan Kettering in 2011.

Dr. Lowe studies the genes and processes whose alterations cause and maintain cancer. Much of his work has focused on the tumor suppressor gene p53, where he has focused on how p53 acts to suppress tumorigenesis and the diverse consequences of p53 mutation on cancer progression. As examples, he has identified key roles for p53 in the processes of apoptosis (cell death) and senescence, and shown how p53 can suppress tumors through both cell intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms. Conversely, he has shown how p53 inactivation can promote resistance to certain cytotoxic agents, and facilitate escape from immune surveillance. His work has been recognized by several awards, including the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award, the AACR Clowes Award, the Paul Marks Prize, and the Albert Knudsen award from the National Cancer Institute. He has also been elected as a Fellow in the Academy of the American Association of Cancer Research, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences.