Douglas Hanahan and his team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, used genetically altered mice to study the development of cancerous tumors. Hanahan's research with transgenic mice helped to define the transition of a healthy cell into a cancerous one, in order to derive new treatments for cancer in humans. Hanahan, along with cancer researcher Dr. Judah Folkman of Harvard University, also studied the role of angiogenesis inhibitors, which limit blood supply to shrink the size of tumors.

Hanahan graduated from M.I.T. in 1976 with a degree in physics. A year later, along with Harvard Professor M. Meselson, Hanahan conducted research on recombinant DNA technology. While completing his Ph.D. at Harvard, Hanahan, along with his thesis advisor, studied DNA transfer between the genes of bacterial and animal cells. From 1979 to 1983, he conducted research and was later promoted to Senior Staff Scientist at Cold...