The Nobility in Science Award is given annually to a deserving visionary, who has been a leading sarcoma researcher and has taken on an integral role in advancing treatments for sarcoma patients. Awardees receiving this honor have contributed in a significant way to the advancement of science, knowledge of sarcoma and works tirelessly to find new and innovative approaches for treating this rare cancer.
Cristina R. Antonescu, MD
Director, Soft Tissue and Bone Pathology
Dr. Antonescu’s career as a sarcoma pathologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center started in 1999 under the mentorship of two historical figures, Drs. Andrew Huvos and James Woodruff, who have shaped her aspirations toward an academic career in studying bone and soft tissue tumors. In 2004, as a result of a KO8 award, she started my own sarcoma research laboratory, dedicated to the detection and molecular characterization of diagnostic and prognostic markers in soft tissue sarcomas. Reflecting her prior training in molecular biology, Dr. Antonescu’s research has focused on two main directions: KIT oncogenic signaling in the pathogenesis of GIST and gene fusion discovery in the characterization of new pathologic entities. During the past two decades our lab has cloned numerous novel gene fusions that has impacted the classification of soft tissue tumors. Her sarcoma research laboratory also served as an invaluable resource in mentoring young investigators and pathology fellows, with a special interest in sarcoma pathology and molecular biology. Currently, Dr. Antonescu serves as the Director of the Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology and oversees the pathologic evaluation of sarcoma patients treated at our institution. She runs a busy personal consultation practice, where she enjoys teaching talented fellows. Dr. Antonescu is the Co-Leader of a GIST research project as well as the Co-Director of the Administrative Core and Director of the Biospecimen Repository Core for the NIH Soft Tissue Sarcoma SPORE. She is also the co-Director of the recently instituted MSK Sarcoma Center, an integrated multidisciplinary group of basic and clinical researchers. Dr. Antonescu is grateful to all her colleagues at MSK for their relentless support over the years for both her clinical and research endeavors.