Dr. David M. Livingston
David Morse Livingston, M.D., is Chairman of the Executive Committee for
Research of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In this capacity, he leads the
senior faculty group which oversees all aspects of the Institute's research
program. Dr. Livingston is also Chief of the Institute's Division of solid
Tumors and the Emil Frei Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
In 1995, he was also appointed chairman of the Board of Scientific Advisors
of the National Cancer Institute and a member of the Institute's Executive
Committee.
Dr. Livingston is an internationally recognized expert on genes that regulate
cell growth in the body, genes that, when they go awry, can lead to cancer.
These genes are called oncogenes and tumor suppresser genes.
Through his research, Dr. Livingston is uncovering the detailed biochemical
steps required to initiate and maintain the transformation of these cells
into tumor cells. His focus is on the regulatory controls of signal transduction
-- the smooth and coordinated flow of special chemical signals from the
surrounding environment to the cell, where it is transduced into specific
commands which tell cells whether or not to grow -- and their role in cancer.
Back to WALS spring '97