Stanford Cancer Institute members Christina Curtis, PhD, MSc, and Garry Nolan, PhD, have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy, which recognizes scientists whose work has driven major breakthroughs in cancer research and advanced efforts to prevent and cure cancer.
Election as an AACR Academy Fellow follows a rigorous peer review process that evaluates the depth, originality, and global impact of a candidate’s scientific contributions. Induction reflects a sustained record of discoveries that have shaped the field.
The Academy recognized Curtis for her pioneering work applying computational and systems biology to breast and gastrointestinal cancers, which has significantly shaped the field. Her research integrates multi-omic data and uses computational methods to identify cancer subgroups driven by gene copy-number changes. She employs phylogenetic frameworks to track the evolutionary trajectories of tumors, helping to refine risk prediction and therapeutic response through more accurate biomarkers. Curtis also recently received the prestigious 2025 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research for her pioneering computational approaches to tumor evolution and breast cancer subtyping.
“We are beginning to see how cancer evolution can be decoded to forecast disease progression and guide treatment decisions,” Curtis said. “Being elected as a Fellow of the AACR Academy is a tremendous honor.”
The Academy recognized Nolan for foundational contributions to understanding the cellular and molecular architecture of the immune system and cancer, and for pioneering high-dimensional single-cell technologies, including CyTOF, MIBI, and CODEX. His integration of genomics with computational systems immunology has advanced knowledge of hematopoiesis, leukemogenesis, autoimmunity, and tumor–immune interactions.
“Single-cell technologies have changed how we study biology and disease,” Nolan said. “It is an honor to be recognized alongside colleagues who are pushing cancer research into a new era.”
Their election as AACR Academy Fellows highlights the groundbreaking nature of their work and underscores the importance of continued innovation in cancer research to improve patient outcomes.
