Stephen Baylin Named Fellow Of The American Association For The Advancement Of Science

Stephen Baylin, M.D., the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research, professor of oncology and medicine, and co-director of the Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, has been elected by his peers as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science, engineering and innovation. Baylin was among 489 AAAS members and four from Johns Hopkins who were selected for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications, according to the organization.

Baylin is an international leader in the field of epigenetics, which studies biochemical changes to the environment of DNA, rather than changes directly to it. These changes can alter gene expression and facilitate cancer origination and growth. He is among the most frequently cited physician-scientists in epigenetics. His laboratory studies in lung cancer and leukemia helped lead to clinical trials of the first demethylation agent, 5-azacytidine, and to its FDA approval in a preleukemic condition known as myelodysplastic syndrome. His research also ushered in other epigenetic therapies.

An announcement of the new fellows will be published in the New & Notes section of the journal Science on Nov. 27. An induction ceremony for the fellows will be held virtually on Feb. 13.