Stanley J. Korsmeyer, Professor, Researcher

Stanley J. Korsmeyer, a pioneer in the field of cancer research and a beloved professor at Harvard Medical School, died on March 31 of lung cancer. He was 54.

As director of the Program in Molecular Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Korsmeyer was best known for his ground-breaking research in “programmed” cell death, known as apoptosis.

Korsmeyer’s work involved the study of patients with human follicular B cell lymphoma. He discovered the Bcl-2 gene, which prevents the natural death of cancer cells.

Most recently, Korsmeyer and his colleagues were trying to manipulate apoptosis to force cancer cells to self-destruct, according to a press release from the Dana-Farber Institute.

At yesterday’s service, former director of the Dana-Farber Institute and friend David Nathan said Korsmeyer’s “sacrifice and personal impact changed all of our lives.”

Korsmeyer received his M.D. in 1976 from the University of Illinois in Chicago. He served as chief of the Division of Molecular Oncology at the University of Washington and eventually joined the Dana-Farber Institute in 1998.

A non-smoker, Korsmeyer was diagnosed with lung cancer in the winter of 2004. According to Edward J. Benz Jr., Dana-Farber’s president, Korsmeyer continued working until just a week before his death.

During Korsmeyer’s illness, Benz said, “He had two priorities: his family and the people who worked for him.”

David Nathans, former director of the Dana-Farber Institute, said Korsmeyer’s list of accomplishments is “simply too long to cite,” but they include election into the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Bristol-Meyers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Research.

Described as an “omnivorous” worker, Korsmeyer was admired by many for his generous spirit and kindness.

Ley recalled their shared childhood in rural Illinois, and the “principle of excellence” for which Korsmeyer stood, even as a child.

David Hockenbury, now an Associate Professor at the University of Washington, said, “I was last in his lab twenty years ago...I’ve been in touch ever since.”

“Stan was different,” said friend and colleague Stephen Sallan. “Uniformly, 100 percent loved by all of us.”

Korsmeyer is survived by his wife, Susan J. (Reynard) Korsmeyer, sons Jason Louis and Evan John Korsmeyer, and parents Willard and Carnell Korsmeyer.