Her discovery of the genes for hereditary breast cancer has permanently changed thinking
about the genetics of complex common diseases
The €100,000 Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize went 2013 to Mary-Claire King, American Cancer Society Professor in the Department of
Genome Sciences and Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. Mary-Claire King
is being awarded the prize for her outstanding research achievements in the field of human
genetics. She is one of the world's leading geneticists in the area of cancer and forensic
genetics. "Mary-Claire King was the first to demonstrate that there is a genetic predisposition
for breast cancer. This proof has permanently changed thinking about the genetics of common
complex diseases," wrote the Scientific Council of the Paul Ehrlich Foundation in explaining
its decision. Professor King has also worked for decades in identifying the victims of human
rights violations around the world. The Scientific Council continued: "She makes it clear that
genetics can benefit humanity."
Breast and ovarian cancers are inherited as an autosomal dominant trait in some families.
King has shown that some of the mutations responsible are to be found in a gene that she
called BRCA1, which stands for breast cancer susceptibility gene 1. Genes are therefore also
involved in complex, multifactorial diseases, which may in addition be influenced by
environmental and lifestyle factors. Since the discovery of BRCA1, BRCA2 and other breast
cancer genes, programs for women suffering from these types of cancer have been established
everywhere. King's discoveries and her calculations for the risk of falling ill with breast or
ovarian cancer have fundamentally changed the management of hereditary breast cancer.
The prizewinner has also identified other disease genes. The conditions they cause include
inherited deafness, schizophrenia, autism, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Mary-Claire
King is also highly respected for her humanitarian commitment. She uses genetic technologies
to expose violations of human rights. Since 1984 she has been working with the grandmothers
of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina. These grandmothers are demanding the return of their
grandchildren to their biological families. The children were kidnapped by the military junta
between 1976 and 1983, orphaned and given up for adoption to sympathizers of the junta.
Mary-Claire King provides sound proof of the biological kinship of the children. She also
works with the UN War Crimes Tribunal and has identified the victims of war, terror and
torture in countries such as Cambodia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Bosnia.
Short biography of Professor Dr. Mary-Claire King
Mary-Claire King was born near Chicago in 1946. She has a B.A. in mathematics and later
completed her Ph.D. in genetics at the University of California at Berkeley. She was professor
of genetics and epidemiology at Berkeley from 1976 to 1995. Since 1995 she has been the
American Cancer Society Professor at the University of Washington in Seattle and since 1998
member of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Mary-Claire King has
been awarded thirteen honorary doctorates including honorary doctorates from Harvard, Yale,
Columbia and Princeton. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA,
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the French Academy of Sciences. Professor
King has received numerous prizes all over the world. She is a consultant and member of
various high-level bodies and committees, including the Advisory Board that advises the
Director of the NIH.