Dr. Muhammed Murtaza, Associate Professor in the Division of Surgical Oncology, received the 2024 Bothwell Prize from the Carbone Cancer Center and the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. This prize is awarded annually for a paper published by a team based at UW-Madison and judged for its potential impact on the understanding or treatment of cancer.
Dr. Murtaza and his team were awarded this prize for their groundbreaking paper titled “Genome-wide analysis of aberrant position and sequence of plasma DNA fragment ends in patients with cancer.” Their focus is the development of a highly accurate and sensitive blood test that can detect early-stage cancer through evaluation of DNA in cell-free plasma.
“We are pleased to get this recognition from our colleagues in McArdle Laboratory and the Carbone Cancer Center,” Dr. Murtaza said. “My hope is that, in collaboration with UW Health, we can translate our findings into an early detection test for cancer for patients in Wisconsin and around the world.”
The Bothwell Prize honors the legacy of Claire Bothwell, a young journalist who worked for the BBC in Scotland. She was a staunch advocate for the potential of science to produce transformational ideas for cancer prevention, early intervention and improved treatments.