The rumor mill surrounding Nobel Laureate Harold Varmus is cranking up again, enlivened by a recent report in The Cancer Letter that the biologist will be tapped by the White House to lead the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Image: Public Library of Science

"Multiple sources in the federal government and outside it confirmed that the announcement appears imminent," the story in the newsletter read, adding that Varmus is expected to be named the NCI's new director later this week or early next week.

Varmus, who was director of the National Institutes of Health from 1993-1999, is preparing to step down from his position as president of New York City's Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as soon as the institution finds a successor. Varmus has played an active role in U.S. President Barack Obama's administration thus far, serving as co-chair of the Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the president's inner circle of science experts.

If Varmus is indeed picked to head the NCI, he would be both the first Nobel Prize winner and the first former-NIH director to get the job.

Rumors began circulating last week that Varmus may be the Obama administration's pick for the next NCI director. Varmus sought to quiet those rumors in an email to the ScienceInsider. "I have no idea where you are getting such rumors but I can tell you that no one from the only reputable source, the White House, has contacted me!" Varmus wrote. "However, I've just renewed my R01 [NIH research grant] and am purchasing a new apartment on the West Side. Draw your own conclusions!"

In response to a call requesting comment from Varmus, Kathy Lewis, Sloan-Kettering's vice president of public affairs, said that he is not responding to rumors at the moment.


Related stories:

Varmus to quit as Sloan-Kettering head
[12th January 2010]

Varmus, Lubchenco top Obama team
[22nd December 2008]

Varmus votes - how will you?
[4th February 2008]