NEWS Biomedical research has been Suzanne Cory’s passion in every sense. She has worked to decode the genetic mysteries of the immune system and cancer, has rallied her country to invest in its scientific future, and is married to a fellow scientist from her post-doctoral years. Nature Medicine talked to the Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Melbourne to find out why her love affair with science hasn’t waned in intensity over four decades. Suzanne Cory Reinvigorated from trekking in one of New stamp on Cory’s life: “It was an environ- vival in tumorigenesis. Together with Zealand’s most challenging mountain ment steeped in scientific passion and rigor Adams and a PhD student, David Vaux, ranges during a rare break from work, Cory —four Nobel laureates and ambitious post- Cory discovered that BCL-2, the oncogene was brimming with enthusiasm. docs from all around the world, hungry for activated by chromosome translocation in Uppermost is excitement about her in- success. It was there that I realized that human follicular lymphoma, had a very volvement in a consortium bidding for the there are no half measures in science — the different mode of action than all previ- Federal Government’s Biotechnology commitment has to be all or nothing.” ously characterized oncogenes. Rather Center of Excellence—the winner will be And it was there that she met fellow scien- than stimulating cell proliferation, BCL-2 announced later this year. Cory and her tist Jerry Adams. They married and em- promotes cell survival. “Nobody then colleagues have the bold vision of estab- barked on a research career together, dreamed that simply stopping a cell from lishing a Therapeutics Development which began with post-docs in Geneva. dying could empower it to found a tumor,” Pipeline, another example, she says, “of Molecular biologists were still a rare reflects Cory. Australian scientists putting limited re- breed in 1971 when Cory and Adams For Cory, the outstanding question now sources together in novel combinations to decided to return to Australia to work for the field—and a goal she and her col- achieve bigger goals.” at WEHI. A self-confessed “passionate leagues avidly pursue—is to elucidate how She has always been a vigorous cam- Australian”, Cory hoped that they could the BCL-2 protein acts molecularly to paigner on behalf of the nation’s biotech- establish internationally competitive ca- block apoptosis. Looking ahead, she hopes nology industry, believing it to be essential reers in Australia. The gamble paid off and that by identifying small-molecule in- for strengthening not only the economy the pair led the way in introducing the hibitors and agonists of apoptosis that in- but also basic science. “The race is on to ex- emerging recombinant DNA technology teract with the BCL-2 family, they can ploit genetics to create the medicines of to- into Australia. Working in develop potential drugs morrow”, she urges, “but unless we quickly the field of immunology, against cancer or autoim- harness our scientific resources, Australia Cory and Adams cloned mune and degenerative disor- will be left at the starting gate.” genes of the immune system ders. © http://medicine.nature.com Group 2002 Nature Publishing Cory was appointed as Director of the in an effort to understand its Not surprisingly, Cory is Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in capacity to generate billions considered a role model for 1996—the first woman to hold the post. of different antibodies. One other women scientists. “On the one hand, it is tremendously satis- notable early discovery was When she wanted to study fying to help make a difference to science that lymphocytes assemble abroad in the 1960s, she on a bigger scale—furthering the careers of functional antibody genes by found that only one talented colleagues, helping a great institu- DNA rearrangements that Australian scholarship was tion reach its full potential, enhancing sci- delete DNA. open to women. “That one ence education…“ Nevertheless, she says In the 1980s, Cory and A scientific love story was so old (1851) that they “personally there is nothing equivalent to Adams switched their atten- probably hadn’t thought to being in your own lab, debating scientific tion to cancer and identified the link be- exclude women!’ she laughs. “Thankfully ideas with stimulating colleagues and see- tween karytopic alteration and oncogene times have changed, but more still needs to ing discoveries emerge with your own activation in tumorigenesis. They showed be done to enable women in science to eyes.” that the chromosomal translocation hall- reach their potential.” She feels women are Her scientific career began in the 1960s mark of Burkitt lymphoma—a malignancy often held back by their own lack of confi- when, as an undergraduate, she was star- of antibody-producing cells—reflects an dence. “They need more role models, gen- tled to learn of the discovery that a chro- abnormal rearrangement of antibody uinely flexible career paths and, of course, mosome consists of a single giant molecule genes that activates a dormant oncogene, partners who truly share responsibilities.” of DNA. Still entranced by DNA, on com- MYC. “The inadvertent linkage to the ac- Cory attributes the success of her part- pletion of her Masters degree, she wrote to tive antibody gene forced MYC to work nership with Adams to common interests, Francis Crick asking if she could study for continually and drive cell proliferation”. complementary skills and great mutual re- her PhD in his department at the MRC Always eager to embrace new tools of spect. While science consumes their lives, Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in molecular biology, they then applied they have always preserved blocks of time, Cambridge, UK, then the Mecca for bud- transgenic technology and directly together with their two daughters, for ding molecular biologists. “If I had realized demonstrated that the altered MYC gene camping and hiking trips in the wilder- how audacious that request was, I would inexorably promoted lymphoma develop- ness. For her, “these are important renewal never have had the courage to apply!” she ment in mice. times, when life comes back into perspec- remarks. This work laid the foundation for Cory’s tive.” The experience at LMB left an indelible seminal research into the role of cell sur- Carina Dennis, Sydney NATURE MEDICINE • VOLUME 8 • NUMBER 3 • MARCH 2002 203.