Oncologist Anthony Letai, M.D., Ph.D., has been sworn in as the new leader of the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI), the agency announced Sept. 29.
Letai replaces Douglas Lowy, M.D., a longtime NCI leader who has served as acting director since prior cancer chief Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D., stepped down Jan. 20, the day President Donald Trump was inaugurated for his second term.
Over the last two decades, Letai has built a reputation as a top-notch cancer researcher at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where his lab focused on cell death pathways and how cancer cells avoid them.
Work led by Letai resulted in the development of AbbVie and Roche’s Venclexta (venetoclax), which was first approved by the FDA in 2016 for leukemia.
“We will work around the clock to identify cancer’s root causes, predictive biomarkers and most effective treatments,” Letai said in the release. “Advances in understanding cell death and replication are essential to realizing President Trump’s vision for a healthy America.”
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) was enthusiastic about Letai’s appointment.
“His appointment as NCI Director is a very promising development for cancer research and care,” AACR CEO Margaret Foti, Ph.D., said in a Sept. 29 statement. “Dr. Letai’s enthusiasm for scientific innovation, his appreciation for the value and importance of basic research in advancing progress for cancer patients, and his commitment to fostering collaboration will ensure that NCI continues to lead the way in its mission to improve health, prevent cancer, detect cancer early to maximize survivorship and reduce deaths from this devastating disease.”
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) were more muted in their response.
“This is a critical time for the NCI, an agency that with appropriate and sustainable funding can produce scientific discoveries that get us closer to finding cures for the more than 200 diseases we know as cancer,” Shane Jacobson, CEO of ACS and ACS CAN, said in a Sept. 29 statement.
“We look forward to working with Dr. Letai and the NCI staff toward our shared goal of ending cancer as we know it for everyone,” Jacobson added.