Tuesday, March 24, 2026- J. Michael Bishop, the Nobel Prize–winning scientist whose work transformed the understanding of cancer genetics, has died at the age of 90. He passed away on March 20, 2026, in San Francisco, with reports indicating pneumonia as the cause.
Bishop shared the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Harold E. Varmus for groundbreaking research that revealed cancer-causing genes, known as oncogenes, originate from normal cellular genes rather than being introduced by viruses. Their discovery fundamentally changed how scientists understand cancer and laid the groundwork for modern targeted therapies.
Over the course of his career, Bishop became a leading figure in cancer research while also serving in major academic leadership roles at the University of California, San Francisco, where he helped expand the institution and strengthen its biomedical research mission.
His work is widely credited with helping shift cancer research toward the genetic level, influencing treatments and research strategies used around the world today.
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