Jim is incomparable. I mean, he was always sort of a guiding light and a great inspiration. I loved reading his science as well as his books. And he just did this wonderfully upbeat interview with the Wall Street Journal, saying he wants to have cancer cured in his lifetime. I like this attitude, that's wonderful. That's what we need to try and do!

Peter K. Vogt works at Scripps Research, La Jolla, California. His fundamental studies on oncogenic avian retroviruses led to the identification of oncogenes in human cells. His work also includes the discovery of MYC, the most important driver in human cancer, and he made pioneering contributions to the understanding of PI3Ks, a family of critical cancer targets.

He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the American Philosophical Society. Dr. Vogt remains actively engaged in research on the biology and genetics of cancer.