Title: Professor, Associate Chair of Radiation Oncology

Company: SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Brooklyn, NY, November 5, 2015, Sir Christopher S. Lange, S.B., D.Phil., KCOM, Professor, Associate Chair of Radiation Oncology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, has been recognized by Elite American Educators for dedication, achievements and leadership in biophysical and biological research.

Dr. Lange has more than 46 years of professional experience and has been serving SUNY Downstate Medical Center for more than three decades. He became involved in his profession after he made his own biophysics program for his bachelor’s degree in physics. He then became interested in stem cell biology, which was new at the time, and obtained his doctorate with work demonstrating that the life of the organism can be understood in terms of its stem cells. His career has progressed ever since. He is well respected for his skill set and knowledge of biophysical and biological research relating to human medical problems, particularly cancer and its treatment, as well as stem cells, cancer stem cells, and molecular basis of cellular radio sensitivity.

Dr. Lange changed the fields of embryology and regeneration when he explained the mechanism of anterior-posterior (AP) polarity control. He showed that the AP morphogenetic field, as described in the textbooks, incorrectly predicted the results of transplantation and regeneration experiments. This is yet another model of his that changed paradigms and textbooks and remains unchallenged. Additionally, Dr. Lange was the first to show that DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in mammalian cells are reparable. He also (with J.Y. Ostashevsky) created a quantitative basis for the molecular understanding of cell survival (the DSB model). He made several further significant changes in this field. He also (with J.Y. Ostashevsky) invented the clustered loop model of higher eukaryotic (mammalian) interphase chromosome structure.

He has won numerous awards for his work, and has published essays and articles in prominent industry journals. Dr. Lange attributes his success to his curiosity and training. His entire career demonstrates his ability to challenge paradigms, create new ones, take intellectual risks, and integrate diverse sources of information. Looking toward the future, Dr. Lange hopes to have FDA approval of an assay he developed (patent and patents pending) that measures the sensitivity to proposed treatments of each patient’s cancer stem cells. This would permit individualized treatments for each cancer patient using the most effective treatments for them.

Dr. Lange was originally selected for inclusion in EliteAMERICAN Educators in 2014. We are proud to be featuring Dr. Lange again in EliteAMERICAN Educators for 2015/2016.

Contact Sir Christopher Lange