A giant in the world of oncology has fallen. José Baselga, whose research paved the way for new treatments in different types of cancer, died Sunday.
José Baselga (Photo courtesy of AstraZeneca)
A giant in the world of oncology has fallen. José Baselga, whose research paved the way for new treatments in different types of cancer, died Sunday. After a longtime stint at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Baselga had taken over the task of transforming AstraZeneca’s oncology R&D program. He was 61.
AstraZeneca confirmed the passing of Baselga in a short statement late Sunday. No cause of death was specifically cited in that release. However, other reports suggest Baselga succumbed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurodegenerative disorder believed to be caused by an abnormal isoform of a cellular glycoprotein known as the prion protein, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot called José Baselga “an outstanding scientific leader” and said he will leave a lasting legacy at the company, as well as in the scientific community at large.
“He set our Oncology R&D function on a remarkable trajectory, and his visionary leadership, deep scientific expertise and strategic insight have delivered so many achievements that we can all be proud of and that will benefit patients’ lives in the years to come,” Soriot said in a statement.
Baselga had only been with AstraZeneca for two years. He joined the company in January 2019 after a longtime stint at Memorial Sloan Kettering. But in that time, Soriot said he was able to build a “world-class oncology R&D team.” At AstraZeneca, José Baselga focused on the development of the antibody-drug conjugate Enhertu, which was co-developed with Daiichi-Sankyo. Earlier this year, Enhertu became the first HER2-directed medication approved in the past 10 years to treat gastric cancer in the U.S.
At AstraZeneca, he led a team focused on the development of ADCs, cell therapies, epigenetics and other forms of treatment. He was also a champion of real-world evidence and digital tools that transform the design and implementation of clinical trials, Soriot said.
Enhertu certainly wasn’t Baselga’s only success. Before his time with AstraZeneca, worked with a number of pharmaceutical companies, including Roche and Bristol Myers Squibb, where he served on the company’s board of directors. At Genentech, the Roche subsidiary, he played a key role in the development of Herceptin, the noted breast cancer treatment. Over the course of his career, Baselga was focused on developing oncology treatments that were aimed at genetic mutations and specific molecular targets on tumors. He also spent time researching how cancer tumors can become resistant to treatments, according to a biography on the American Association for Cancer Research website.
Memories of Baselga and his accolades have been shared across social media as friends and colleagues share their memories. Jay Bradner, president of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), said he was devastated by José Baselga’s death.
“A champion of cancer research, a passion for people and life, a brilliant light out far too soon. Rest in peace, Jose, we will miss your joy and your tireless ambition to do more for cancer patients,” Bradner said on Twitter.
Baselga’s departure from Memorial Sloan Kettering was under a bit of a shadow. Baselga resigned from his role at MSK in September 2018 after reports surfaced that he failed to disclose his vast financial ties to various pharmaceutical companies in journal articles he published. José Baselga apologized for the disclosure failures and took full responsibility before joining the AstraZeneca team, where he made an immediate impact.
“José was more than a colleague to me. He was a friend, and someone I immensely respected and cherished. I will enormously miss having him alongside me, and I will continue to be inspired by his work and vision,” Soriot added.
In addition to his enormous scientific legacy, José Baselga leaves behind his wife Silvia and four children. Following his death, one of Baselga’s daughters launched a fundraiser to secure monies for new research into Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
