The Basser Center for BRCA at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center announced Maria Jasin as the recipient of the sixth annual Basser Global Prize. Dr. Jasin is a member of the developmental biology program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a professor at the Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Cornell.

The Basser Global Prize recognizes a leading scientist who has conceptually advanced BRCA1/2-related research. Individuals with mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at an increased risk of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and other cancers.

Dr. Jasin’s research has helped define the roles of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in DNA repair. Her discoveries have led to numerous investigative efforts worldwide, resulting in a greater understanding of how cancer develops and in new therapies that can lengthen the lives of cancer patients.

According to Susan Domchek, executive director of the Basser Center for BRCA, “[Dr. Jasin’s] work has resulted in insights into the mechanisms by which BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations lead to cancer. This knowledge has been essential in considering how to target tumors with BRCA1/2 mutations.”

The award presentation will be accompanied by Dr. Jasin’s keynote address at the seventh annual Basser Center for BRCA Scientific Symposium in May. The Prize provides $100,000 in unrestricted support of the winner’s BRCA1/2-related research, a Basser trophy and a $10,000 prize, which will be awarded at the symposium.