Judah Folkman, a visionary pioneer in cancer research, died January 14, 2008, at the age of 74. It is indeed a sad obligation to inform our readership of the unexpected death of a distinguished member of the editorial board and Honorary Lecturer of the International Journal of Cancer and Meyenburg Foundation Lectures in 2005. Dr. Judah Folkman (1933–2008) Dr. Folkman stands for a new era in cancer research and therapy focusing on the long-neglected tumor environment. His research created the field of tumor angiogenesis, often facing skepticism and open rejection from the scientific community, and paved the way for the development of a new generation of cancer drugs. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1933, Folkman graduated from the Ohio State University in 1953 and received his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1957 where he started his clinical work in surgery and which he continued until 1981. During his military service from 1960 to 1962 he had that important “aha experience” while studying cell-free blood substitutes, observing that tumors cannot grow without new blood vessels. With this discovery Dr. Folkman's life-long scientific work on angiogenesis began and the new area of tumor angiogenesis came to life, although slowly at first. In 1971 he published a very provocative paper in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled: “Tumor angiogenesis: therapeutic applications,” in which he postulated that blocking the process of tumor angiogenesis could be a new strategy to arrest tumor growth. It took nearly 20 years until this visionary idea was accepted and he and many researchers worldwide had proven it. Thanks to Dr. Folkman's inspiration, more than 10 new cancer drugs are currently clinically in use: the first was approved by the FDA in 2004. Thanks to Dr. Folkman's research and that of many of his collaborators, the new area of angiogenesis has been and is still being vigorously exploited and anti-angiogenic therapy is on a firm scientific foundation, not only for the treatment of cancer, but for many non-neoplastic diseases as well. Judah Folkman is the author of nearly 400 peer-reviewed papers and more than 100 book chapters. I am personally very grateful that he wrote one of his last chapters as an introduction to the comprehensive textbook on “Tumor-Angiogenesis: Basic Mechanisms and Cancer Therapy” reviewing in his unrivaled style the long and eventful history of tumor angiogenesis. He was a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the National Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, among many other honorary appointments, which include honorary doctoral degrees from 11 universities in the US, Canada, and Europe. For his distinguished research Dr. Folkman received an enormous number of national awards and honors as well as numerous international awards, including Canada's Gairdner Foundation International Award, Israel's Wolf Foundation Prize and Emanuel G. Rosenblatt Award, Germany's Ernst Jung Prize, the Italian Association of Cancer Research Gold Medal, The United Kingdom Society for Endocrinology's Dale Medal, the Prince of Asturias Award in Spain, and Switzerland's Dr. Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award. Folkman's scientific accomplishments are unequaled – he founded a new field of biological research and a new approach to understanding and treating cancer and other diseases. He has mentored and collaborated with hundreds of brilliant colleagues at Harvard and worldwide. This esteemed scientist and academic teacher was an inspiring speaker, giving his audience the deep impression of a never-ending fascination for his research and a strong dedication to his cancer patients. Whoever had the privilege and pleasure to attend his stimulating presentations will agree that the scientific community suffers a tremendous loss with the premature death of this fascinating scientist and physician. The Editors of the International Journal of Cancer join those all over the world who would honor the memory of Judah Folkman. Norbert Fusenig Associate Editor