DOCSLIB.ORG

THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH Annual Review 2011/2012 “ Our Students Go on to Make Hugely Important Contributions to the World

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH Annual Review 2011/2012 “ Our Students Go on to Make Hugely Important Contributions to the World THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH Annual Review 2011/2012 www.ed.ac.uk “ Our students go on to make hugely important contributions to the world. It is our responsibility to ensure that before, during and after their period of study with us, they benefit from the best support possible, so that they can reach their full potential.” Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, Principal and Vice Chancellor, the University of Edinburgh Front cover shows students leaving the new Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine building. INTRODUCTION Contents FEATURES NEWS REVIEW FINANCIAL 03 Our vision and our mission 05 Principal’s foreword Collaborative thinking: HONORARY GRADUATIONS 06 leading the way in regenerative medicine The personal touch: 08 revolutionising student support Unique treasures: 10 sharing the University’s collections Golden opportunities: ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS APPOINTMENTS 12 nurturing sporting talent Understanding the universe: 14 building on the genius of Higgs Enlightening literature: 16 marking a 250-year milestone Sharing knowledge: 18 student volunteering broadens horizons Crest of the wave: 20 supporting the flow of innovation A PPENDICES 22 News in brief 26 Financial review 28 Honorary graduations and other distinctions 30 Awards and achievements 32 Appointments Appendices 34 Appendix 1 Undergraduate applications and acceptances Appendix 2 Student numbers Appendix 3 Benefactions Appendix 4 Research grants and other sources of funding To view our Annual Review online, please visit: www.ed.ac.uk/annual-review Annual Review 2011/2012 02/03 INTRODUCTION FEATURES NEWS REVIEW FINANCIAL Our vision To shape the future by attracting and developing the HONORARY GRADUATIONS world’s most promising students and outstanding staff. Our mission ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS APPOINTMENTS The mission of our University is the creation, dissemination and curation of knowledge. As a world-leading centre of academic excellence we aim to: • enhance our position as one of the world’s leading A research and teaching universities and to measure our PPENDICES performance against the highest international standards • provide the highest quality learning and teaching environment for the greater wellbeing of our students and to deliver an outstanding educational portfolio • produce graduates fully equipped to achieve the highest personal and professional standards • make a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution to Scotland, the UK and the world, promoting health and economic and cultural wellbeing. Annual Review 2011/2012 The new Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine building, opened in 2012. See page 06 for the full story. 04/05 INTRODUCTION Principal’s foreword FEATURES NEWS REVIEW FINANCIAL It has been another year of success and innovation for the University of Edinburgh and I am indebted to our staff, students and the wider community for making it so. It is heartening to see real grounds for optimism One of our greatest strengths is our trailblazing both now and in the future within the University. research work. This spirit of innovation impacts HONORARY GRADUATIONS At the heart of our activities are our students. positively on students too. We feature two We are fortunate that we can attract young pioneering projects with which we’re involved people of world-class potential and we are – the recently opened Scottish Centre for proud that at the end of their time with us Regenerative Medicine and the new wave they go on to do so many inspirational things. test facility currently under construction at the University’s King’s Buildings campus. In an increasingly competitive global market for higher education, we are bucking trends. Ours is an institution that is about so much Applications from prospective students are more than the cutting-edge technologies of increasing and our success rates for graduate the future. What greatly adds to Edinburgh’s ACHIEVEMENTS & AWARDS APPOINTMENTS employment, once students take the first steps appeal is its past and the history in which it is on the career ladder, are among the very best steeped. There is no greater example of this than in the UK. the University’s Collections, comprising unique artefacts and manuscripts that reveal the history This is in no small measure due to our worldwide of the University, Scotland and the rest of the reputation – as evidenced by our latest rise in world. Inside you can read how the recent the Times Higher Education World University redevelopment of the Main Library has created Rankings – and to our ongoing commitment the Centre for Research Collections, a fitting new to student support. home for these precious treasures from around Our students go on to make hugely important the world and, in turn, a first-class learning and contributions to the world, whether those teaching resource for our students. contributions lie in the fields of medicine and Elsewhere in this publication we celebrate veterinary medicine, science and engineering the work of Professor Peter Higgs and the Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea BSc, PhD, FRSE or arts, humanities and social sciences. It is our establishment of the Higgs Centre for Theoretical responsibility to ensure that before, during and A Physics, following the discovery in 2012 of a PPENDICES after their period of study with us, they benefit from particle thought to be the Higgs boson. This Centre the best support possible, so that they can reach will result in the development of high-level masters their full potential. That is why we have recently programmes and open up fresh opportunities for invested a significant amount in a new system of students wanting to take up PhDs in relevant areas. Personal Tutors to guarantee the best academic We also focus on how students are at the centre and pastoral support possible for students. We of the University’s department of English Literature, have also introduced Innovative Learning Week, to which has just celebrated its 250th anniversary. Its encourage experimentation within the curriculum, close-knit nature allows students to contribute to a and for those students challenged by financial diverse range of research projects, and gives them constraints, we can offer the most comprehensive the unique opportunity to be judges in Britain’s package of bursaries in the UK. oldest literary awards, the James Tait Black Prizes. We work closely with students to make sure Reflections on the past year of achievement that the student voice is heard and their needs cannot be undertaken without mention being are met. It is gratifying when our student body made of the London 2012 Olympic Games recognises and rewards excellence in teaching, and the world-beating performances in cycling as it does every year with the Edinburgh University and rowing of our alumni, Sir Chris Hoy and Students’ Association (EUSA) Teaching Awards. Ms Katherine Grainger. Edinburgh was the top Our relationship with students after they have performing UK university at the London 2012 graduated is equally important to us and – again Olympic Games, based on medals won by our – it is tremendously heartening that so many of representatives. The sports bursaries we provide our alumni were able to offer their support to for talented young sportsmen and women and the Edinburgh Campaign, which has raised the quality of our renowned Centre for Sport £350 million for a wide range of extremely and Exercise allow us to make a substantial important University projects and initiatives. contribution to the development of future In this edition of the Annual Review you can sports stars. read more about the new system of Personal Nurturing talent and providing an environment Tutors and also discover how our students make in which students can thrive is something to significant contributions to the wider community, which we are deeply committed for the benefit thanks to EUSA’s highly successful student of future generations. volunteering scheme. Annual Review 2011/2012 Collaborative thinking: leading the way in regenerative medicine The new Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM) building This collegiate, multidisciplinary environment has opened at Edinburgh BioQuarter. is the outcome of long-nurtured ambitions for Edinburgh BioQuarter. For decades Scotland Sited next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and “The research cohort primarily comprised leading has been host to a cluster of leading-edge the University’s world-leading facilities for medical stem cell researchers in the Institute of Stem Cell regenerative medicine technologies, but prior teaching and biomedical research, the SCRM is a Research and scientists working on very specific to BioQuarter’s development, expertise in the unique hub for collaborative science. tissues like blood, brain and liver, actually doing field was fairly disparate. clinical research into diseases that would be With funding from sources including the University Professor Simon Best, Chairman of Edinburgh targets for regenerative medicine,” says Professor of Edinburgh, the Scottish Government, Scottish BioQuarter, regards the SCRM as a vital component ffrench-Constant. “The ambition was to put them Enterprise, the Medical Research Council and the within the Little France site – and agrees that the together into one building and in that building British Heart Foundation, it is the first large-scale, new building will prove to be a particular draw to create a cell manufacturing facility, which has purpose-built facility of its kind. It provides for postgraduates. sufficient sterility and quality
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Governance and Remuneration 2014
    Governance & remuneration reportStrategic In this section Our Board 72 Our Corporate Executive Team 76 Chairman’s letter 78 Corporate governance framework 79 Board report to shareholders Oversight and stewardship in 2014 and future actions 80 remuneration & Governance Leadership and effectiveness 82 Committee reports Audit & Risk 86 Nominations 92 Corporate Responsibility 94 Remuneration report Chairman’s annual statement 96 Annual report on remuneration 97 2014 Remuneration policy report 119 Financial statements Financial Investor information Investor GSK Annual Report 2014 71 Our Board Strategic reportStrategic Diversity Experience International experience Composition Tenure (Non-Executives) % % % % Scientific 19 Global 75 Executive 19 Up to 3 years 39 % % % % Finance 31 USA 100 Non-Executive 81 3-6 years 15 % % % % Industry 50 Europe 94 Male 69 7-9 years 23 % % % EMAP 63 Female 31 Over 9 years 23 Sir Christopher Gent 66 Skills and experience Chairman Sir Christopher has many years of experience of leading global businesses and a track record of delivering outstanding performance Governance & remuneration & Governance Nationality in highly competitive industries. He was appointed Managing Director British of Vodafone plc in 1985 and then became its Chief Executive Officer Appointment date in 1997 until his retirement in 2003. Sir Christopher was also a 1 June 2004 and as Chairman Non-Executive Director of Ferrari SpA and a member of the British on 1 January 2005 Airways International Business Advisory Board. Committee membership External appointments Corporate Responsibility Sir Christopher is a Senior Adviser at Bain & Co. Committee Chairman, Nominations, Remuneration and Finance Sir Philip Hampton 61 Skills and experience Chairman Designate Prior to joining GSK, Sir Philip chaired major FTSE 100 companies including J Sainsbury plc.
    [Show full text]
  • Mothers in Science
    The aim of this book is to illustrate, graphically, that it is perfectly possible to combine a successful and fulfilling career in research science with motherhood, and that there are no rules about how to do this. On each page you will find a timeline showing on one side, the career path of a research group leader in academic science, and on the other side, important events in her family life. Each contributor has also provided a brief text about their research and about how they have combined their career and family commitments. This project was funded by a Rosalind Franklin Award from the Royal Society 1 Foreword It is well known that women are under-represented in careers in These rules are part of a much wider mythology among scientists of science. In academia, considerable attention has been focused on the both genders at the PhD and post-doctoral stages in their careers. paucity of women at lecturer level, and the even more lamentable The myths bubble up from the combination of two aspects of the state of affairs at more senior levels. The academic career path has academic science environment. First, a quick look at the numbers a long apprenticeship. Typically there is an undergraduate degree, immediately shows that there are far fewer lectureship positions followed by a PhD, then some post-doctoral research contracts and than qualified candidates to fill them. Second, the mentors of early research fellowships, and then finally a more stable lectureship or career researchers are academic scientists who have successfully permanent research leader position, with promotion on up the made the transition to lectureships and beyond.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2013
    Annual Report 2013 “ Being active and having a positive outlook on life is what keeps me going every day.” Overview of 2013 “ Our performance in 2013 was defined by remarkable &R D output and further delivery of sustained financial performance for our shareholders.” Please go to page 4 for more More at gsk.com Performance highlights £26.5bn £8.0bn £7.0bn £5.2bn Group turnover Core* operating profit Total operating profit Returned to shareholders 6 112.2p 112.5p 13% Major medicines approved Core* earnings per share Total earnings per share Estimated return on R&D investment 10 6 1st 1st Potential phase III study starts in 2014/15 Potential medicines with phase III data in Access to Medicines Index Pharmaceutical company to sign AllTrials expected 2014/15 campaign for research transparency Front cover story Betty, aged 65, (pictured) has Chronic “ Health is important to me, Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). She only has 25% lung capacity. This means I try to take care of my she finds even everyday tasks difficult, but medicines and inhaled oxygen allow her to health with all the tools live as normal a life as she can. Betty’s mindset I have and do the best is to stay busy and active, so every week she goes to rehab exercise classes. that I can with it.” COPD is a disease of the lungs that leads to Betty, COPD patient, damaged airways, causing them to become North Carolina, USA narrower and making it harder for air to get in and out. 210 million people around the world are estimated to have COPD.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Review 2005
    GS2184_Review_A\W2.qxd 7/3/06 4:58 pm Page fc1 Annual Review 2005 human being Do more, feel better, live longer GS2184_Review_A\W2.qxd 9/3/06 1:28 pm Page ifc2 01 An interview with Sir Christopher Gent, Chairman, and JP Garnier, Chief Executive Officer 05 Tachi Yamada, Chairman, Research & Development, Pharmaceuticals 06 Jean Stéphenne, President and General Manager, GSK Biologicals 08 John Clarke, President, Consumer Healthcare 11 David Stout, President, Pharmaceutical Operations 14 Performance highlights 15 Business operating review 18 The Board 19 The Corporate Executive Team 20 Summary remuneration report 23 Corporate governance 24 Responsibility statements 25 Summary financial statements 26 Summary information under US GAAP 27 Shareholder information 29 Chairman and CEO’s closing letter JP Garnier (left) and Sir Christopher Gent (right) GS2184_Review_A\W2.qxd 7/3/06 5:01 pm Page 01 “Discovering important medicines, eradicating diseases, improving the quality of people’s lives and making medicines available to a greater number of people. This is what we do – and what we do matters to people.” JP Garnier, Chief Executive Officer An interview with Sir Christopher Gent, Chairman and JP Garnier, Chief Executive Officer 2005: a year of success and progress “Thanks to the efforts of our employees around the company’s pipeline is one of the largest and most world, 2005 was a very successful year for GSK,” says promising in the industry, with 149 projects in clinical JP Garnier, Chief Executive Officer. “Not only was it development (as at the end of February 2006), our best year ever from a financial standpoint, we also including 95 new chemical entities (NCEs), 29 product made substantial progress with our pipeline of line extensions (PLEs) and 25 vaccines.
    [Show full text]
  • IST Annual Report 2019
    Annual Report 2019 IST Austria administrative and The people of IST Austria technical support staff by nationality Austria 59.4% Nationalities on campus Germany 5.6% Hungary 3.1% Poland 2.5% Romania 2.5% Scientists as well as administrative and technical support staff come Italy 2.1% Russia 1.7% from all over the world to conduct and back research at IST Austria. Czech Republic 1.4% As of December 31, 2019, a total of 72 nationalities were represented India 1.4% Slovakia 1.4% on campus. Spain 1.4% UK 1.4% Other 16.1% North America Europe Asia Canada Albania Italy Afghanistan Cuba Andorra Latvia Bangladesh El Salvador Armenia Lithuania China Mexico Austria Luxembourg South Korea USA Belarus Macedonia India Belgium Malta Iran Bosnia and Netherlands Israel Herzegovina Norway Japan Bulgaria Poland Jordan Croatia Portugal Kazakhstan Cyprus Romania Lebanon Czech Republic Serbia Mongolia Denmark Slovakia Philippines Finland Slovenia Russia France Spain Singapore Georgia Sweden Syria Germany Switzerland Vietnam Greece Turkey Hungary UK Ireland Ukraine Africa Egypt Kenya IST Austria scientists by nationality Libya Austria 14.7% Nigeria Germany 10.9% South America Italy 7.4% Argentina India 5.9% Russia 4.7% Brazil Slovakia 4.1% Chile China 4.1% Colombia Hungary 3.7% Peru Spain 3.3% Uruguay USA 3.1% Czech Republic 2.9% UK 2.4% Oceania Other 32.8% Australia Content 2 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 40 RESEARCH 4 Foreword by the president 42 Biology 5 Board member voices 44 Computer science 6 “An Austrian miracle” 46 Mathematics A year of celebration 48 Neuroscience
    [Show full text]
  • In This Section
    Strategic report In this section Chairman’s statement 2 CEO’s review 4 Business overview 6 The global context 8 Our business model 12 Our strategic priorities 14 How we performed 16 Risk management 18 Grow 20 Deliver 32 Simplify 44 Our financial architecture 48 Responsible business 50 Financial review 58 Strategic report Chairman’s statement Chairman’s statement To shareholders The value of the significant changes that have been made in recent years is evidenced in our performance this year “ Since Sir Andrew became It is clear from the following pages that Through the Audit & Risk Committee, we the Group made good progress against oversee the issues and challenges faced by CEO, the company has its strategy in 2013. management, and encourage the creation of an environment in which GSK can achieve The Board believes the business is seeing returned £30 billion its strategic ambitions in a responsible and the benefits of the significant changes the sustainable manner. to shareholders.” management team has driven over recent years to deliver sustainable growth, reduce risk and I have no doubt that commercial success is enhance returns to shareholders. directly linked to operating in a responsible way and which meets the changing expectations of The notably strong performance from the society. In this respect, the company continues R&D organisation in 2013 – with six major to adopt industry-leading positions on a range new product approvals in areas including of issues. respiratory disease, HIV and cancer – is critical to the longer-term prospects of the The announcement of plans during 2013 to Group.
    [Show full text]
  • University College Record October 2018
    University College Record October 2018 a ©Philip Mynott Professor Stephen Hawking (8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018) Honorary Fellow and Old Member of this College (matric. 1959) University College Record October 2018 The Record Volume XVIII Number 1 October 2018 Contents Editor’s Notes 1 Master’s Notes 2 Fellows and Staff 5 The Governing Body 6 Honorary Fellows 11 Foundation Fellows 12 Newly Elected Fellows 12 Fellows’ News 14 Leaving Fellows and Staff 19 Academic Results, Awards and Achievements 24 Academic Results and Distinctions 26 University Prizes and Other Awards 30 Scholarships and Exhibitions 33 Travel Scholarships 38 2017-18 in Review 39 From the Chaplain 40 From the Librarian 43 From the Director of Music 45 From the Development Director 48 The Chalet 54 Junior Common Room 55 Weir Common Room 56 Obituaries 57 Honorary Fellows 58 Fellows and Visiting Fellows 64 Old Members 65 Univ Lost List 94 Univ Lost List 96 Univ Benefactors 2017-18 105 The 1249 Society 106 Major Benefactors 110 Principal Benefactors 112 The William of Durham Club 113 Roll of Donors 116 College Information 142 Degree Ceremonies 144 College Contact Details 145 iv Editor’s Notes Inside this issue of the University College Record, you will find a factual account of the year – Fellows’ news, academic results, College reports and news of departing Fellows and staff. We were deeply saddened to report the deaths of three of our Honorary Fellows this year: Professor Stephen Hawking (1959, Physics), Sir Maurice Shock – Univ’s Politics Fellow from 1956-77, and Estates Bursar from 1958-73, and Sir V S Naipaul (1950, English).
    [Show full text]
  • Personal and Contact Details
    CURRICULUM VITAE Carol Vivien Robinson DBE FRS FMedSci Personal and Contact Details Date of Birth 10th April 1956 Maiden Name Bradley Nationality British Contact details Department of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry University of Oxford South Parks Road Oxford OX1 3QZ Tel : +44 (0)1865 275473 E-mail : [email protected] Web : http://robinsonweb.chem.ox.ac.uk/Default.aspx Education and Appointments 2009 Professorial Fellow, Exeter College, Oxford 2009 Dr Lee’s Professor of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Oxford 2006 - 2016 Royal Society Research Professorship 2003 - 2009 Senior Research Fellow, Churchill College, University of Cambridge 2001 - 2009 Professor of Mass Spectrometry, Dept. of Chemistry, University of Cambridge 1999 - 2001 Titular Professor, University of Oxford 1998 - 2001 Research Fellow, Wolfson College, Oxford 1995 - 2001 Royal Society University Research Fellow, University of Oxford 1991 - 1995 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Oxford. Supervisor: Prof. C. M. Dobson FRS 1991 - 1991 Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology, University of Keele 1983 - 1991 Career break: birth of three children 1982 - 1983 MRC Training Fellowship, University of Bristol Medical School 1980 - 1982 Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge. Supervisor: Prof. D. H. Williams FRS 1979 - 1980 Master of Science, University of Wales. Supervisor: Prof. J. H. Beynon FRS 1976 - 1979 Graduate of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Medway College of Technology, Kent 1972 - 1976 ONC and HNC in Chemistry, Canterbury
    [Show full text]
  • Review of the Year 2009/10
    Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation Review of the year 2009/10 1 Celebrating 350 years Review of the year 2009/10 02 Review of the year 2009/10 President’s foreword Executive Secretary’s report Review of the year 2009/10 03 Contents President’s foreword ..............................................................02 Inspire an interest in the joy, wonder Executive Secretary’s report ..................................................03 and excitement of scientific discovery ..................................16 Invest in future scientific leaders and in innovation ..............04 Seeing further: the Royal Society celebrates 350 years .......20 Influence policymaking with the best scientific advice ........08 Summarised financial statements .........................................22 Invigorate science and mathematics education ...................10 Income and expenditure statement ......................................23 Increase access to the best science internationally ..............12 Fundraising and support ........................................................24 List of donors ..........................................................................25 President’s Executive foreword Secretary’s report This year we have focused on the excellent This has been a remarkable year for the Society, our opportunity afforded by our 350th anniversary 350th, and we have mounted a major programme not only to promote the work of the Society to inspire minds, young and old alike, with the but to raise the profile of science
    [Show full text]
  • Peer Review College Newsletter
    Peer Review College Newsletter Winter 2014 Launch of New EPSRC Strategic plan CONTENTS Over the last five years the national and international research landscape, and the 1. Launch of New EPSRC context in which EPSRC operates, have changed and continue to develop. To take Strategic plan – page 1 account of this new environment our Strategic Plan has been up-dated, with input from our partners and communities, recognising external influences including 2. EPSRC Policy on the Use the international research landscape, global economic situation and government of Animals in Research strategies. – page 1 We have developed our goals and strategies to reflect this changing landscape and 3. College Member On-line to ensure we maintain focus on our ambitious and unwavering vision: for the UK to Training – page 3 be the best place in the world to research, discover and innovate. Our Strategic Plan also recognises the importance of working in partnership if the UK is to maintain its 4. EPSRCs Peer Review position as a world-leading location for high quality research, and be equally renowned Extranet – page 4 for its innovation. 5. Return for Amendments EPSRC’s CEO, Professor Philip Nelson said: “Our Strategic Plan describes the – page 4 potential of UK science and engineering, its importance to addressing the global and 6. The importance of Pre- domestic challenges that range from energy security to healthcare, and the vital role scores – page 5 it plays in economic growth by fuelling technological progress. It sets out how EPSRC, in partnership with the academic community and industry partners, will unlock that 7.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Outlook of the Antiviral Drug Era, Now More Than 50 Years After Description of the First Antiviral Drug Erik De Clercq
    j1 1 Outlook of the Antiviral Drug Era, Now More Than 50 Years After Description of the First Antiviral Drug Erik De Clercq 1.1 Introduction: The Prehistory More than 50 years ago, the synthesis of IDU (iododeoxyuridine), a thymidine analogue, was described by Prusoff [1]. This compound would later become the first antiviral drug to be licensed for (topical) use in the treatment of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections of the eye. In this sense, the advent of IDU marked the birth of the antiviral drug era. There are now about 50 licensed antiviral compounds, half of them are used for the treatment of AIDS, of which the viral origin was first recognized 27 years ago [2, 3] (2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology was awarded to Fran¸coise Barre-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier for their discovery of human immu- nodeficiency virus and to Harald zur Hausen for demonstrating the link between human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer). Was IDU truly the first antiviral? In retrospect, the antiviral chemotherapy era had a rather slow and unremarkable start. The first compounds quoted to have antiviral activity (against vaccinia virus) were the thiosemicarbazones [4, 5]. These compounds were also found effective against vaccinia virus infection in mice and rabbits [6–8], and one of the thiosemicarbazones, that is, N-methylisatin-b-thiosemicarbazone, even entered clinical studies for the prophylaxis of smallpox [9] just when the smallpox vaccination took over and made any further attempts to develop an antipoxvirus drug apparently superfluous. Then came the benzimidazole derivatives as inhibitors of influenza virus multi- plication [10, 11], but despite the reported effectiveness of the 5,6-dichloro-1-b-D- ribofuranosyl benzimidazole (DRB) [10, 11] against influenza virus multiplication, it was not pursued further as a potential anti-influenza virus agent.
    [Show full text]
  • DNA Methylation Patterns and Cancer
    restriction/modification system, which brought Werner Arber, Daniel Nathans and Hamilton Smith the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and made restriction enzymes the primary tools of Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Foundation molecular biology. Four decades have passed since then, but the role of 5-methylcytosine in eukaryotic DNA metabolism is still shrouded in mystery. We know that the sperm methylation pattern is largely The erased after fertilization and that methylation is gradually reintroduced Charles Rodolphe Brupbacher Prize during embryogenesis and differentiation, but the processes that for Cancer Research 2017 regulate the cell type- and tissue-specific methylation patterns remain is awarded to to be elucidated. We have also learned that DNA can be not only methylated, but also demethylated, and that aberrant methylation can lead to disease - including cancer. Again, how these processes are regulated remains to be discovered. However, we have learnt a great Sir Adrian Peter Bird, deal about 5-methylcytosine metabolism during the past three decades and much of our knowledge came from the laboratory of Adrian Bird. PhD Adrian spent his doctoral and postdoctoral time in Max Birnstiel’s for his contributions to our understanding laboratory, first in Edinburgh and then in Zurich, studying the amplification of ribosomal DNA in Xenopus laevis. In this organism, of the role of DNA methylation in genomic rDNA in somatic tissues is highly methylated, while the development and disease extrachromosomal amplicons are unmethylated. When he returned to Edinburgh to establish his own group, Adrian set out to study The President The President of the Foundation of the Scientific Advisory Board the methylation pattern of these loci using the newly-available methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes.
    [Show full text]