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Please join us in congratulating Sir William Denny, Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre on his award of Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. This is an exceptional honour and one that is truly deserved. Bill, as he would like to remain known in the centre, has been a member of the centre since 1972 and was Director/Co-Director for almost 40 years.

This honour is the pinnacle amongst many that Bill has been awarded. Bill is also an Officer of the NZ Order of Merit (2003), is a member of the American Chemical Society Hall of Fame, the first New Zealander to be so honoured, is a recipient of the Rutherford Medal (1995), the Gluckman Medal (2006), the Vice Chancellor’s Commercialisation Medal (2012) and has received many other prizes and honours.

Bill’s contributions to drug discovery, both academic and translational, have been phenomenal. He has published more than 730 academic papers and 20 book chapters. He is responsible, in conjunction with a variety of academic and industry partners, for bringing 15 new drugs to clinical trial. Many of these were first-in-class drugs to reach clinical evaluation (e.g. amsacrine, DACA, vadimezan, canertinib, PR-104).

Bill’s productivity and the influence of his work reflect both the skills of the multidisciplinary team he has built in Auckland and his extensive academic and industry partnerships, primarily in the US. He was a joint founder of the biotech companies Proacta Inc. and Pathway Therapeutics, which commenced in New Zealand before moving to the US, as well as Kea Therapeutics. In dedicating four decades of his life to cancer research at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre, Bill has made a singular contribution to building one of the most respected cancer research centres in the world. Please join us in congratulating Bill, Lisa and their family on this wonderful honour.