World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
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Molecular Biology
USA
2026
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Genetics and Molecular Biology
USA
2024

D-Index & Metrics

Best Scientists

D-Index
164
Citations
107686
World Ranking
1086
National Ranking
647

Molecular Biology

D-Index
163
Citations
103067
World Ranking
60
National Ranking
40

Medicine

D-Index
164
Citations
107485
World Ranking
657
National Ranking
380

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2024 - Research.com Genetics and Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2023 - Research.com Molecular Biology in United States Leader Award
  • 2005 - Fellow of the Royal Society, United Kingdom
  • 2001 - US President's National Medal of Science "For his co-discovery of the cellular origins of retroviral oncogenes, which heralded a new era in the control of human cancer and for reinvigorating the nation's medical research enterprise.", Presented by President George W. Bush in a White House East Room ceremony on June 12, 2002.
  • 1999 - ASCB Public Service Award, The American Society for Cell Biology
  • 1994 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • 1991 - Member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)
  • 1989 - Nobel Prize for their discovery of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes
  • 1988 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1984 - Canada Gairdner International Award
  • 1984 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1984 - Alfred P. Sloan Jr. Prize, General Motors Cancer Research Foundation
  • 1982 - Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, Lasker Foundation

Overview

Harold E. Varmus is affiliated with Cornell University in the United States. Their research spans a wide range of topics primarily within biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology, with additional focus on medicine.

The main fields of study covered by Varmus's publications include:

  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • Medicine

Subfields of particular interest include:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cancer Research
  • Oncology
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine

The core topics addressed in their work are:

  • Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics
  • Lung Cancer Research Studies
  • Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations
  • Molecular Biology Techniques and Applications
  • RNA modifications and cancer
  • Metabolism, Diabetes, and Cancer
  • Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism

Recent noteworthy publications by Varmus include:

  • "Lineage-specific intolerance to oncogenic drivers restricts histological transformation", 2024, published in Science
  • "Concrete steps to diversify the scientific workforce", 2021, published in Science
  • "LKB1-Dependent Regulation of TPI1 Creates a Divergent Metabolic Liability between Human and Mouse Lung Adenocarcinoma", 2023, published in Cancer Discovery
  • "Characterization of a small molecule inhibitor of disulfide reductases that induces oxidative stress and lethality in lung cancer cells", 2022, published in Cell Reports
  • "Lineage-specific intolerance to oncogenic drivers restricts histological transformation", 2023, published in bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Common publication venues for Varmus's work include:

  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
  • Science
  • Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention
  • eLife
  • Trends in cancer

Frequent collaborators in research efforts comprise:

  • Eric E. Gardner
  • Lewis C. Cantley
  • John R. Ferrarone
  • Nicolas Robine
  • Kate Li

Across their career, Varmus has been recognized with several awards and honors, including:

  • Fellow of the Royal Society, United Kingdom (2005)
  • US President's National Medal of Science (2001) - For co-discovery of the cellular origins of retroviral oncogenes and contributions to medical research enterprise
  • ASCB Public Service Award, The American Society for Cell Biology (1999)
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1994)
  • Member of the National Academy of Medicine (1991)
  • Nobel Prize (1989) - For the discovery of the cellular origin of retroviral oncogenes
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1988)
  • Alfred P. Sloan Jr. Prize, General Motors Cancer Research Foundation (1984)
  • Canada Gairdner International Award (1984)
  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences (1984)
  • Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research, Lasker Foundation (1982)

Best Publications

  • EGF receptor gene mutations are common in lung cancers from “never smokers” and are associated with sensitivity of tumors to gefitinib and erlotinib

    William Pao;Vincent Miller;Maureen Zakowski;Jennifer Doherty

  • A New Initiative on Precision Medicine

    Francis S. Collins;Harold Varmus

  • Acquired Resistance of Lung Adenocarcinomas to Gefitinib or Erlotinib Is Associated with a Second Mutation in the EGFR Kinase Domain

    William Pao;Vincent A. Miller;Katerina A Politi;Gregory J. Riely

  • Amplification of N-myc in untreated human neuroblastomas correlates with advanced disease stage

    GM Brodeur;RC Seeger;RC Seeger;M Schwab;HE Varmus

  • Somatic mutations affect key pathways in lung adenocarcinoma

    Li Ding;Gad Getz;David A. Wheeler;Elaine R. Mardis

  • Many tumors induced by the mouse mammary tumor virus contain a provirus integrated in the same region of the host genome.

    Roel Nusse;Harold E. Varmus

  • Amplified DNA with limited homology to myc cellular oncogene is shared by human neuroblastoma cell lines and a neuroblastoma tumour.

    Manfred Schwab;Kari Alitalo;Karl Heinz Klempnauer;Harold E. Varmus

  • KRAS Mutations and Primary Resistance of Lung Adenocarcinomas to Gefitinib or Erlotinib

    William Pao;Theresa Y Wang;Gregory J Riely;Vincent A Miller

  • DNA related to the transforming gene(s) of avian sarcoma viruses is present in normal avian DNA

    D. Stehelin;H. E. Varmus;J. M. Bishop;P. K. Vogt

  • Toward a Shared Vision for Cancer Genomic Data.

    Robert L. Grossman;Allison P. Heath;Vincent Ferretti;Harold E. Varmus

  • The Molecular Biology of the Hepatitis B Viruses

    Don Ganem;Harold E. Varmus

  • Characterization of ribosomal frameshifting in HIV-1 gag-pol expression

    Tyler Jacks;Michael D. Power;Frank R. Masiarz;Paul A. Luciw;Paul A. Luciw

  • Characterizing the cancer genome in lung adenocarcinoma

    Barbara A. Weir;Barbara A. Weir;Michele S. Woo;Gad Getz;Sven Perner;Sven Perner

  • Structure and variability of human chromosome ends.

    T de Lange;L Shiue;R M Myers;D R Cox

  • The Molecular Genetics of Cellular Oncogenes

    Harold E. Varmus

  • Homogeneously staining chromosomal regions contain amplified copies of an abundantly expressed cellular oncogene (c-myc) in malignant neuroendocrine cells from a human colon carcinoma.

    K. Alitalo;Manfred Schwab;C. C. Lin;H. E. Varmus

  • Expression of the int-1 gene in transgenic mice is associated with mammary gland hyperplasia and adenocarcinomas in male and female mice.

    Ann S. Tsukamoto;Rudolf Grosschedl;Raphael C. Guzman;Tristram Parslow

  • Inhibition of drug-resistant mutants of ABL, KIT, and EGF receptor kinases

    Todd A. Carter;Lisa M. Wodicka;Neil P. Shah;Anne Marie Velasco

  • Rescuing US biomedical research from its systemic flaws

    Bruce Alberts;Marc W. Kirschner;Shirley Tilghman;Harold Varmus

  • Mode of proviral activation of a putative mammary oncogene ( int -1) on mouse chromosome 15

    R. Nusse;A. Van Ooyen;D. Cox;Y. K. T. Fung

Frequent Co-Authors

John M. Coffin
John M. Coffin Tufts University
J. Michael Bishop
J. Michael Bishop University of California, San Francisco
Don Ganem
Don Ganem Via Nova Therapeutics
Katerina Politi
Katerina Politi Yale University
Peter K. Vogt
Peter K. Vogt Scripps Research Institute
William Pao
William Pao Roche (United States)
Keith R. Yamamoto
Keith R. Yamamoto University of California, San Francisco
Hsing Jien Kung
Hsing Jien Kung Taipei Medical University
Mark G. Kris
Mark G. Kris Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Yi Li
Yi Li University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

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