Prof Hay is a Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His laboratory laid the groundwork for the role of the serine/threonine kinase Akt as the major downstream effector of growth factor-mediated cell survival and required for the activation of mTORC1. They were the first to show that genetic ablation of Akt sensitizes cells to cell death in vivo (cited 1285 times) and, over the years, have delineated the mechanisms by which Akt affects tumorigenesis and metabolism, both at the cellular and organismal levels. Dr Hay’s lab was the one that developed the systemic deletion models of Akt isoforms, which showed that Akt1 inhibition is well tolerated and inhibits both tumor development and metastasis, whereas Akt2 inhibition induces hyperinsulinemia and does not inhibit, thereby providing genetic proof of concept and the foundation for our programs.