Susan Band Horwitz

Susan Band Horwitz
Born1937
Cambridge, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Alma materBryn Mawr College,
Brandeis University
Known forAnti-tumor drugs
Scientific career
FieldsBiochemistry
InstitutionsTufts University Medical School,
Emory University Medical School,
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Doctoral advisorNathan O. Kaplan

Susan Band Horwitz is an American biochemist and professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine[1][2] where she holds the Falkenstein chair in Cancer Research as well as co-chair of the department of Molecular Pharmacology.

Horwitz is a pioneer in dissecting the mechanisms of action of chemotherapeutic drugs including camptothecin, epipodophyllotoxins, and bleomycin, and taxol. Horwitz's work on taxol in particular has brought her international recognition. Horwitz discovered that taxol binds to microtubules, resulting in arrest of the cell cycle in metaphase.[1] Her work paved the way to using taxol and other microtubule binding agents as chemotherapeutics. Taxol remains widely used today, as a means to treat ovarian, breast, and lung cancer.[3] However, since taxol is in short supply, Horwitz is directing studies in her lab to identify similar therapies in natural products.

  1. ^ a b Horwitz, Susan; Goldman, David (January 2015). "A Conversation with Susan Band Horwitz". Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology. 55: 1–9. doi:10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010814-124519. PMID 25562642.
  2. ^ "Susan Band Horwitz". www.warrenalpert.org.
  3. ^ Davis, Tinsley (June 26, 2006). "Profile of Susan Band Horwitz". PNAS. 103 (27): 10163–10165. Bibcode:2006PNAS..10310163D. doi:10.1073/pnas.0604639103. PMC 1502428. PMID 16801530.