Timeline:
January 13, 1920 – December 16, 2012
Place of study:
Wittenberg University, Ohio
University of Chicago, Chicago
Contribution to breast cancer research:
- Dr. Jensen studied steroid hormones and isolated estrogen receptors, discovering their importance in breast cancer.
- His research demonstrated that nearly 75% of all breast cancers express ERα, and that women showing significant ERα levels can receive nontoxic treatments.
- His contribution revolutionized the field of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Dr. Jensen also developed a 80% accurate method for predicting a breast cancer patient’s response to hormone therapy, which was a great achievement at that time.
- Jensen laboratory generated the first polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to the estrogen receptor.
Memberships:
The Endocrine Society, President (1980)
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Director (1983-87)
Board of Scientific Counselors of the National Cancer Institute
National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Council
NCI-INSERM Committee on Hormonal Regulation and Cancer
Awards:
Charles F. Kettering Prize (1980)
Fred Conrad Koch Award (1984)
Dorothy P. Landon Prize (2002)
Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research (2004)
Fun fact:
Dr. Elwood had a favourite hobby of creating limericks, often on the spot!
REFERENCES:
1. Greene GL. In Memoriam: Elwood Jensen (1920–2012) Mol Endocrinol. 2013 Oct;27(10):1589–1591.
2. Elwood V. Jensen. Available from: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elwood_V._Jensen. Accessed on 08 October 2020.