The Catalyst Bids Adieu to Our Very Own Catalyst

It’s our bittersweet pleasure to bid farewell this month to Lance Liotta, The NIH Catalyst’s founding father.

Liotta, chief of NCI’s Laboratory of Pathology since 1982, is moving across the Potomac to become Professor of Life Sciences and Co-Director of the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine at George Mason University.

Lance was named NIH’s Deputy Director for Intramural Research in July 1992. In this capacity, he launched The NIH Catalyst—with a welcoming message that highlighted our goal: to "Extend the spirit of the NIH Research Festival throughout the year." Liotta directed our "Hot Methods" series and has served as Catalyst editor through this issue.

Upbeat and encouraging, Liotta is a hands-on mentor. He directed one of NCI’s largest, most active laboratories, training hundreds of the world’s cancer pathologists and launching dozens of research careers as he urged young scientists into intriguing veins of investigation.

Liotta’s restless creativity and energy fueled the development of new technologies that are answering some of the most difficult questions in cancer research. In the March-April 1997 issue, we noted that Liotta’s laser-capture microdissection invention, which he co-patented, was one "of more than 60 patents, dating to 1973."

Kudos, thanks, and good luck, Lance!