LA JOLLA (October 2, 2026)— Tony Hunter, PhD , American Cancer Society Professor and Renato Dulbecco Chair at Salk, has been awarded the 2026 Albany Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research —one of the largest and most prestigious science awards in the world.
Albany Medical College chose Hunter and UC Los Angeles oncologist Dennis Slamon, MD, PhD, to receive this year’s prize in honor of their cancer biology discoveries that together have saved millions of lives worldwide. Hunter is recognized for his identification of a molecular switch known as tyrosine phosphorylation, which has been targeted to create more than 100 cancer drugs.
“Tony’s dedication to curiosity-driven research has made him an irreplaceable asset at Salk and in science at large,” says Salk President Gerald Joyce, MD, PhD . “His commitment to foundational discovery has transformed cancer biology and treatment, and we look forward to celebrating this honor with him.”
About the Albany Prize
The Albany Prize has been awarded each year since 2001 in recognition of exceptional work in medicine and biomedical research. It was established by the late Morris “Marty” Silverman, who had a vision to recognize scientists for “bench to bedside” work that has improved the lives of patients across the country and around the globe.
The award comes with a $500,000 prize thanks to a $50 million gift commitment from the Marty and Dorothy Silverman Foundation to Albany Medical Center. Their gift ensures the award can be given for 100 years, continuing its prestigious reputation near the rank of the Nobel Prize.
Other distinguished scientists who have received the Albany Prize include former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease director Anthony Fauci, MD; CRISPR pioneers and Nobel Laureates Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, and Jennifer Doudna, PhD; and mRNA vaccine pioneers and Nobel Laureates Katalin Karikó, PhD, and Drew Weissman, MD, PhD, among many others.
Tony Hunter’s lifesaving discovery and impactful career
Hunter joins the illustrious ranks of past Albany Prize recipients because of his discovery of tyrosine phosphorylation, a serendipitous finding thanks to a tiny pH change. In 1979, while conducting an experiment to separate the amino acids in a viral protein, Hunter unknowingly used a buffer (a solution that helps control acidity) with a pH of 1.7 instead of 1.9.
That small difference revealed tyrosine phosphorylation, a process in which an enzyme adds a phosphate group to the amino acid tyrosine in proteins. This remarkable discovery revealed a new class of enzymes called tyrosine kinases, which help regulate cell growth.
After publishing the landmark study that introduced tyrosine kinases, Hunter went on to write and publish many additional papers on this new protein kinase family. Through his persistent curiosity, he came to understand that tyrosine kinases become overactive in many human cancers. This seminal discovery laid the groundwork for the development of the first tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs to successfully treat cancers.
Approved by the FDA in 2001, the revolutionary tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib (Gleevec) has transformed the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia from a terminal disease to a highly manageable condition. Today, more than 100 cancer drugs that block overactive tyrosine kinases exist thanks to Hunter’s foundational work in identifying and characterizing tyrosine kinases.
“A gratifying outcome of this set of experiments on a simple chicken tumor virus,” Hunter wrote of his discovery in a 2015 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences perspective .
2025 marked Hunter’s 50th year at the Salk Institute, where he is still an active researcher. In addition to his own collaborations and projects, he takes immense pride in training the future generation of cancer biologists and life sciences researchers.
“When I’m teaching students, I say an awful lot has already been discovered, but an awful lot remains unknown. I’m sure that new biological principles will emerge that we can’t even imagine right now,” Hunter said in a 2023 feature in Inside Salk magazine . “I’m excited because there will always be new things to be discovered for as long as I’m alive.”
Tony Hunter’s other awards and honors
Hunter has received numerous accolades for his pivotal cancer research, including the Wolf Prize in Medicine, Gairdner Foundation International Award, Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, National Cancer Institute Outstanding Investigator Award, American Association for Cancer Research Lifetime Achievement Award in Cancer Research, Sjöberg Prize for Cancer Research, Prince Mahidol Award, and Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research.
Hunter has also been elected a fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research, Member of the American Philosophical Society; fellow of the Royal Society of London; Member of the National Academy of Sciences; fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and Member of the National Academy of Medicine.
More information
This press release was written by Isabella Davis.
About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
The Salk Institute is an independent, nonprofit research institute founded in 1960 by Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine. The Institute’s mission is to drive foundational, collaborative, risk-taking research that addresses society’s most pressing challenges, including cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and crop resilience. This foundational science underpins all translational efforts, generating insights that enable new medicines and innovations worldwide. Learn more at www.salk.edu .