Professor Charis Eng in memoriam

The whole of PTEN Research Foundation were greatly saddened to hear of the recent death of Charis Eng.

Prof Eng was a true leader and pioneer in the field of PTEN Hamartoma Tumour Syndrome (PHTS). She was a key contributor to the seminal 1997 Nature Genetics paper ‘Germline mutations of the PTEN gene in Cowden disease, an inherited breast and thyroid cancer syndrome’ that for the first time identified PTEN mutations in individuals with Cowden Syndrome and demonstrated that PTEN acts as a tumour suppressor in the germline. 

Over the proceeding decades with her team at Cleveland Clinic and collaborators across the globe there have been significant advancements in the understanding of PHTS both in the context of underlying pathobiology and improved characterisation of the diverse clinical manifestations associated with the condition.

Charis cared deeply for the people with PHTS that she treated. In 2023 on publishing updated data from a long-term study, she was quoted as saying “Twenty years is a long time to work with the same group of patients … the relationship between our patients and our caregivers is extremely close. It is like a family.”

Prof Eng also played a pivotal role in shaping the scientific strategy of PTEN Research and was always generous with her time and wise counsel. She acted as chair of our scientific advisory board from 2019-2022 and we were privileged to continue to actively collaborate with her up to her death. 

Speaking for the whole PHTS community, Prof Eng will be greatly missed. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and colleagues across the globe.

Thursday 15 August 2024