Medicine Man: Meet the man who could cure cancer

<p>One of the world&rsquo;s leading biomedical scientists opened his Tarrytown-based lab exclusively to Turn To Tara for a tour of the place where breakthrough drugs are born and where cancer could be cured.</p>

News 12 Staff

Feb 13, 2018, 11:57 AM

Updated 2,265 days ago

Share:

One of the world’s leading biomedical scientists opened his Tarrytown-based lab exclusively to Turn To Tara for a tour of the place where breakthrough drugs are born and where cancer could be cured.
George Yancopoulos, Regeneron’s president and chief scientific officer, is pharma’s first billionaire.
Yancopoulos took News 12 on a tour of the lab where breakthrough drugs for blindness, asthma and high cholesterol were discovered.  News 12 also saw the lab’s bioreactors, where cells that make natural human antibodies are grown. Regeneron is also working on developing cancer drugs.
Unlike many Fortune 500 company presidents, Yancopoulos is more comfortable in the lab than in his office but spends long hours in both, thanks to a work ethic fine-tuned back at Bronx High School of Science.
Click here for an extended interview with George Yancopoulos.
Before Regeneron was a $40 billion company, Yancopoulos got a random call from future partner Leonard Schleifer back in 1989.
A few weeks later, at the age of 28, he traded his job as a college professor at Columbia University for a 10,000-square-foot lab space in Westchester.  He took a risk, just as his Greek immigrant parents did decades before.
“I think we really felt from day one that we were building something that might eventually make a difference,” he says.
Yancopoulos is now raising four children of his own with his wife in Yorktown. He says a piece of his heart will always be in the Bronx, where his story began.
“My first memory of the Bronx High School of Science was being intimidated by how smart the other kids were,” he says.


More from News 12
1:57
Authorities: Fire destroys home in Spring Valley

Authorities: Fire destroys home in Spring Valley

1:52
Scattered rain overnight in the Hudson Valley; sunny skies Sunday afternoon

Scattered rain overnight in the Hudson Valley; sunny skies Sunday afternoon

0:43
Musica Y Mole Festival: White Plains High School celebrates Mexican culture

Musica Y Mole Festival: White Plains High School celebrates Mexican culture

1:02
Drug Takeback Day encourages Rockland residents to properly dispose of unused, expired medications

Drug Takeback Day encourages Rockland residents to properly dispose of unused, expired medications

2:02
'Gains For Brains' girls lacrosse tournament raises awareness, funds for pediatric brain cancer research

'Gains For Brains' girls lacrosse tournament raises awareness, funds for pediatric brain cancer research

0:31
Police seek public’s help locating missing 89-year-old man

Police seek public’s help locating missing 89-year-old man

Mathew Barzal scores in 2nd OT as Islanders beat Hurricanes 3-2 to avoid series sweep

Mathew Barzal scores in 2nd OT as Islanders beat Hurricanes 3-2 to avoid series sweep

0:33
Delta plane lands at JFK due to emergency slide falling off

Delta plane lands at JFK due to emergency slide falling off

2:28
Doctors are seeing an increase in pickleball-related injuries. Here how to avoid them

Doctors are seeing an increase in pickleball-related injuries. Here how to avoid them

1:23
Westchester commuters, residents weigh in on official congestion pricing rollout date

Westchester commuters, residents weigh in on official congestion pricing rollout date

0:20
City of White Plains to impose new speed limit of 25 mph, effective in May

City of White Plains to impose new speed limit of 25 mph, effective in May

0:41
Farm-to-table distillery brings boozy beverages to Goshen

Farm-to-table distillery brings boozy beverages to Goshen

0:22
Westchester County Center to host free prom attire giveaway this weekend

Westchester County Center to host free prom attire giveaway this weekend

0:35
Westchester Craft Beverage Trail takes residents on tour of 2 dozen distilleries

Westchester Craft Beverage Trail takes residents on tour of 2 dozen distilleries

Special teams carry Rangers to a Game 3 win and a 3-0 series lead on the Capitals

Special teams carry Rangers to a Game 3 win and a 3-0 series lead on the Capitals

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

0:52
Mother and daughter from Mount Vernon sentenced in pandemic-relief fraud scheme

Mother and daughter from Mount Vernon sentenced in pandemic-relief fraud scheme

0:32
Carmel police: Yorktown shoplifting suspects arrested

Carmel police: Yorktown shoplifting suspects arrested

0:52
'Kindness in a cup.' Sleepy Coffee, Too celebrates grand opening in Sleepy Hollow

'Kindness in a cup.' Sleepy Coffee, Too celebrates grand opening in Sleepy Hollow

1:53
Officials call for no-show Orange County legislator to step down after missing meetings for two years

Officials call for no-show Orange County legislator to step down after missing meetings for two years