Mary-Claire King of the University of Washington, Seattle, has won the 2014 Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science to recognize and honor her for contributions to medical science and society, particularly, her discovery of the gene BRCA1 and its role in hereditary breast cancer. King is the American Cancer Society Research Professor of Genetics and Medicine at the University of Washington. She was elected to serve as the 2012 president of the American Society of Human Genetics and she has also served on the editorial board of the ASHG's American Journal of Human Genetics.
Ignyta has appointed Robert Wild as chief scientific officer and senior vice president of research. Previously, Wild held several positions at OSI Pharmaceuticals, including as senior director of oncology research, in vivo pharmacology, and molecular imaging and research. He also spent four years at Bristol-Myers Squibb.