Robert Weinberg, PhD, is a leading expert on cancer genetics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Weinberg's laboratory has been home to many "firsts" in cancer research. In 1980, his laboratory identified the first human oncogene, ras. In 1986, Weinberg and his colleagues isolated the first tumor suppressor gene, the retinoblastoma gene. These achievements revolutionized the way scientists think about the origins of human cancer and paved the way for powerful new technologies in cancer diagnosis.