Emmanuel Farber

1918 - 2014
Cancer research lost a pioneer on Sunday, August 3, 2014, with the passing of Dr. Emmanuel Farber, 95, a renowned pathologist who made fundamental contributions to our understanding of chemical carcinogenesis. Dr. Farber's studies in experimental pathology demonstrated that chemical carcinogens are capable of binding to nucleic acids, in turn generating specific DNA adducts. These early studies led to the observation that chemical carcinogenesis is a sequential process. He later proved this theory by showing that cancer could be induced through a series of step-by-step chemical treatments in the liver. He served on the Surgeon General's first Advisory Committee on Smoking and Health from 1961 to 1964. The committee was responsible for issuing the 1964 Surgeon General's Report which has now done more to prevent tobacco-related disease than any other preventive measure. Dr. Farber was an early proponent of limiting tobacco use and educating the public about smoking risks, at a time when such a position was subject to attacks from industry and even from other scientists.

Dr. Farber was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on October 19, 1918. He obtained his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto in 1942. After completing his residency training in pathology at the Hamilton General Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, he served in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and later obtained a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1975 Dr. Farber moved back to his native city to take the post of Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pathology and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. At his death, he held the title of Chairman Emeritus and Professor in the Department of Pathology at the University of Toronto.

In addition to his academic and research contributions, Dr. Farber was a leader in the scientific community. He was an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research, serving as Vice President (1971-1972) and President (1972-1973). He was a member of the AACR Board of Directors and served as Associate Editor of Cancer Research; he was elected as an inaugural Fellow of the AACR Academy (2013). Dr. Farber was also a member of the Pennsylvania (East) State Legislative Committee, and the Molecular Epidemiology Working Group and served with distinction on the Panel on Medical Sciences of the US-Japan Cooperative Science Program, National Advisory Cancer Council of the US Public Health Service, Lung Cancer Task Force, Committee on Food Safety and Food Safety Policy of the National Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the Pathology B Study section of the National Institutes of Health, Committee on Pathology, Division of Medical Sciences of the National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council, the Histochemical Society, and the American Society of Experimental Pathology.

Dr. Farber is survived by daughter Naomi Farber, son-in-law Steven Grosby, and beloved grandson Samuel Grosby.