Lawrence A. Loeb

Loeb has made many contributions to understanding nucleic acid synthesis fidelity, establishing the first assay for measuring the fidelity of DNA synthesis. He then used it to quantify the fidelity of DNA polymerases and to characterize mutations resulting from chemical carcinogens. He is particularly well known for his hypothesis that mutations in tumors are a manifestation of a mutator phenotype that drives cancer. This idea has received strong experimental support, with implications that can now be tested using his recently developed method for extremely accurate next generation DNA sequencing. Loeb has served as President of  the  American Association for Cancer Research and the Environmental Mutagen Society.