Alan Ashworth

Last updated

Alan Ashworth
Born1960 (age 63–64)
Bolton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Alma mater
Scientific career
Institutions
Thesis Cloning and characterisation of cDNAs derived from cytochrome P-450 mRNAs  (1984)
Doctoral students Elizabeth Iorns [1]
Website cancer.ucsf.edu/people/profiles/ashworth_alan/

Alan Ashworth, FRS (born 1960 in Bolton, Lancashire) is a British molecular biologist, noted for his work on genes involved in cancer susceptibility. He is currently the President of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco, a multidisciplinary research and clinical care organisation that is one of the largest cancer centres in the Western United States. [2] He was previously CEO of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London. [3]

Contents

Early life

Ashworth was educated at St Mary's Primary School and Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry at Imperial College, London, and was awarded a PhD in Biochemistry at University College, London. [4]

Career

Ashworth joined the Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) in London in 1986 as a Postdoctoral research Scientist in the Section of Cell and Molecular Biology and in 1999 he was appointed the first Director of the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre (BBCRC). [5] The Centre is now recognised internationally and has more than 120 scientists and researchers working on aspects of the disease ranging from basic molecular and cellular biology through to translational research and clinical trials. [5] Ashworth's Directorship ended in January 2011 when he took up the position of Chief Executive of the ICR which he held until December 2014. [6]

One of Ashworth's major contributions to cancer research has been his work on genes involved in cancer risk. He was a key part of the team that in 1995 discovered the BRCA2 gene, [7] [8] [9] [10] which is linked to an increased risk of some types of cancers [11] / which is now used to identify women at high risk of the disease. Ten years later, Ashworth identified a way to exploit genetic weaknesses in cancer cells including mutated BRCA 1 or BRCA2, leading to a new approach to work on Poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) as a drug target for cancer. [12] [13]

Ashworth's research and leadership reflects his passion for translating laboratory studies into improvements in patient care, particularly by the development of personalised cancer medicine. [14] [15]

In 2014, Ashworth stepped down as Director of the ICR to join the University of California, San Francisco as President of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (HDFCCC) and Senior Vice-President of Cancer Services of UCSF Health from January 2015. [16] He also serves as Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine and holds the E. Dixon Heise Distinguished Professorship in Oncology. [17]

In 2016, Ashworth and Pamela Munster, MD, established the UCSF Center for BRCA Research. In November 2016 he started the San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SF CAN). In 2017, he became inaugural chair of the University of California Cancer Consortium.

Awards and recognition

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BRCA1</span> Gene known for its role in breast cancer

Breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BRCA1 gene. Orthologs are common in other vertebrate species, whereas invertebrate genomes may encode a more distantly related gene. BRCA1 is a human tumor suppressor gene and is responsible for repairing DNA.

The Institute of Cancer Research is a public research institute and a member institution of the University of London in London, United Kingdom, specialising in oncology. It was founded in 1909 as a research department of the Royal Marsden Hospital and joined the University of London in 2003. It has been responsible for a number of breakthrough discoveries, including that the basic cause of cancer is damage to DNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxana Moslehi</span> Genetic epidemiologist

Roxana Moslehi is an Iranian-born genetic epidemiologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hereditary breast–ovarian cancer syndrome</span> Medical condition

Hereditary breast–ovarian cancer syndromes (HBOC) are cancer syndromes that produce higher than normal levels of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and additional cancers in genetically related families. It accounts for 90% of the hereditary cancers. The hereditary factors may be proven or suspected to cause the pattern of breast and ovarian cancer occurrences in the family. The name HBOC may be misleading because it implies that this genetic susceptibility to cancer is mainly in women. In reality, both sexes have the same rates of gene mutations and HBOC can predispose to other cancers including prostate cancer and pancreatic cancer. For this reason, the term "King syndrome" has recently come into use. The new name references Mary-Claire King who identified the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CYLD (gene)</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

The CYLD lysine 63 deubiquitinase gene, also termed the CYLD gene, CYLD is an evolutionary ancient gene found to be present as far back on the evolutionary scale as in sponges. In humans, this gene is located in band 12.1 on the long arm of chromosome 16 and is known to code multiple proteins through the process of alternative splicing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SHFM1</span> Gene of the species Homo sapiens

26S proteasome complex subunit DSS1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SHFM1 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PALB2</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Partner and localizer of BRCA2, also known as PALB2 or FANCN, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the PALB2 gene.

Christopher John Marshall FRS FMedSci was a British scientist who worked as director of the Division for Cancer Biology at the Institute of Cancer Research. Marshall was distinguished for research in the field of tumour cell signalling. His track record includes the discovery of the N-Ras oncogene , the identification of farnesylation of Ras proteins, and the discovery that Ras signals through the MAPK/ERK pathway. These findings have led to therapeutic development of inhibitors of Ras farnesylation, MEK and B-Raf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PARP inhibitor</span> Pharmacological enzyme inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases

PARP inhibitors are a group of pharmacological inhibitors of the enzyme poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP).

<i>BRCA</i> mutation Medical condition

A BRCA mutation is a mutation in either of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which are tumour suppressor genes. Hundreds of different types of mutations in these genes have been identified, some of which have been determined to be harmful, while others have no proven impact. Harmful mutations in these genes may produce a hereditary breast–ovarian cancer syndrome in affected persons. Only 5–10% of breast cancer cases in women are attributed to BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, but the impact on women with the gene mutation is more profound. Women with harmful mutations in either BRCA1 or BRCA2 have a risk of breast cancer that is about five times the normal risk, and a risk of ovarian cancer that is about ten to thirty times normal. The risk of breast and ovarian cancer is higher for women with a high-risk BRCA1 mutation than with a BRCA2 mutation. Having a high-risk mutation does not guarantee that the woman will develop any type of cancer, or imply that any cancer that appears was actually caused by the mutation, rather than some other factor.

Sir Michael Rudolf Stratton, is a British clinical scientist and the third director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. He currently heads the Cancer Genome Project and is a leader of the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

Sir Bruce Anthony John Ponder FMedSci FAACR FRS FRCP is an English geneticist and cancer researcher. He is Emeritus Professor of Oncology at the University of Cambridge and former director of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and of the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Cancer Centre.

Alan D. D'Andrea is an American cancer researcher and the Fuller American Cancer Society Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School. D'Andrea's research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute focuses on chromosome instability and cancer susceptibility. He is currently the director of the Center for DNA Damage and Repair and the director of the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancer.

Ashok Venkitaraman is a British cancer researcher of Indian origin. He is the Director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the National University of Singapore, and Program Director at A*STAR, Singapore. From 1998 to 2020, he was the inaugural holder of the Ursula Zoellner Professorship of Cancer Research at the University of Cambridge, a Professorial Fellow at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and from 2006 to 2019, was the Director of the Medical Research Council Cancer Unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Marais</span> Cancer researcher

Richard Malcolm Marais is Director of the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Manchester Institute and Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Manchester.

Thea D. Tlsty is an American pathologist and professor of pathology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is known for her research in cancer biology and her involvement in the discovery of cells that may be at the origin of metaplastic cancer, an invasive form of breast cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HRDetect</span>

HRDetect is a whole-genome sequencing (WGS)-based classifier designed to predict BRCA1 and BRCA2 deficiency based on six mutational signatures. Additionally, the classifier is able to identify similarities in mutational profiles of tumors to that of tumors with BRCA1 and BRCA2 defects, also known as BRCAness. This classifier can be applied to assess the implementation of PARP inhibitors in patients with BRCA1/BRCA2 deficiency. The final output is a probability of BRCA1/2 mutation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jórunn Erla Eyfjörð</span> Icelandic academic

Jórunn Erla Eyfjörð is an Icelandic molecular biologist and professor emerita at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Iceland. She is known for her research on breast cancer genetics.

Bing Xia is a Chinese American scientist and professor at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, where he directs the Xia Laboratory. He is best known for his discovery of the PALB2 tumor suppressor gene, a notable scientific advance in the field of cancer genetics.

Valerie M. Weaver is a professor and the director of the Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration in the department of surgery and co-director Bay Area Center for Physical Sciences and Oncology at the University of California San Francisco (USA). She has been working and leading oncology research for more than 20 years. Her scientific contributions have been recognised by different awards. She was the first woman to receive the Shu Chien Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society in 2022, which honours contributions in the cellular and molecular bioengineering field.

References

  1. ↑ Tansey, Bernadette (29 November 2012). "Xconomy: Science Exchange Creates a Trading Post for Research Services". Xconomy. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  2. ↑ "Research profiles: Professor Alan Ashworth FRS". UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
  3. ↑ "Management structure". The Institute of Cancer Research. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. 1 2 "Leading Scientist Professor Alan Ashworth to Receive Prestigious Award for Cancer Discoveries". Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  6. ↑ "Professor Alan Ashworth starts as CEO". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  7. ↑ Roth, S; Kristo, P; Auranen, A; Shayehgi, M; Seal, S; Collins, N; Barfoot, R; Rahman, N; Klemi, P. J.; Grénman, S; Sarantaus, L; Nevanlinna, H; Butzow, R; Ashworth, A; Stratton, M. R.; Aaltonen, L. A. (1998). "A missense mutation in the BRCA2 gene in three siblings with ovarian cancer". British Journal of Cancer. 77 (8): 1199–202. doi:10.1038/bjc.1998.202. PMC   2150153 . PMID   9579822.
  8. ↑ Connor, F; Smith, A; Wooster, R; Stratton, M; Dixon, A; Campbell, E; Tait, T. M.; Freeman, T; Ashworth, A (1997). "Cloning, chromosomal mapping and expression pattern of the mouse Brca2 gene". Human Molecular Genetics. 6 (2): 291–300. doi: 10.1093/hmg/6.2.291 . PMID   9063750.
  9. ↑ Bignell, G; Micklem, G; Stratton, M. R.; Ashworth, A; Wooster, R (1997). "The BRC repeats are conserved in mammalian BRCA2 proteins". Human Molecular Genetics. 6 (1): 53–8. doi: 10.1093/hmg/6.1.53 . PMID   9002670.
  10. ↑ Lancaster, J. M.; Wooster, R; Mangion, J; Phelan, C. M.; Cochran, C; Gumbs, C; Seal, S; Barfoot, R; Collins, N; Bignell, G; Patel, S; Hamoudi, R; Larsson, C; Wiseman, R. W.; Berchuck, A; Iglehart, J. D.; Marks, J. R.; Ashworth, A; Stratton, M. R.; Futreal, P. A. (1996). "BRCA2 mutations in primary breast and ovarian cancers". Nature Genetics. 13 (2): 238–40. doi:10.1038/ng0696-238. PMID   8640235. S2CID   26808443.
  11. ↑ Wooster, R.; Bignell, G.; Lancaster, J.; Swift, S.; Seal, S.; Mangion, J.; Collins, N.; Gregory, S.; Gumbs, C.; Micklem, G.; Barfoot, R.; Hamoudi, R.; Patel, S.; Rices, C.; Biggs, P.; Hashim, Y.; Smith, A.; Connor, F.; Arason, A.; Gudmundsson, J.; Ficenec, D.; Kelsell, D.; Tonin, P.; Timothy Bishop, D.; Spurr, N. K.; Ponder, B. A. J.; Eeles, R.; Peto, J.; Devilee, P.; Cornelisse, C. (1995). "Identification of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2". Nature. 378 (6559): 789–792. Bibcode:1995Natur.378..789W. doi:10.1038/378789a0. PMID   8524414. S2CID   4346791.
  12. ↑ Cressey, D (2010). "Translational research: Talking up translation: Alan Ashworth took a cancer drug from Petri dish to patients in near record speed". Nature. 463 (7280): 422–3. Bibcode:2010Natur.463..422C. doi: 10.1038/463422a . PMID   20110964.
  13. ↑ Wooster, R.; Neuhausen, S.; Mangion, J.; Quirk, Y.; Ford, D.; Collins, N.; Nguyen, K.; Seal, S.; Tran, T.; Averill, D.; Et, A. (1994). "Localization of a breast cancer susceptibility gene, BRCA2, to chromosome 13q12-13". Science. 265 (5181): 2088–2090. Bibcode:1994Sci...265.2088W. doi:10.1126/science.8091231. PMID   8091231.
  14. ↑ Cressey, Daniel (27 January 2010). "Translational research: Talking up translation". Nature News. 463 (7280): 422–423. Bibcode:2010Natur.463..422C. doi: 10.1038/463422a . PMID   20110964.
  15. ↑ "Breakthrough Generations". Breakthroughgenerations.org.uk. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  16. ↑ "Acclaimed British Scientist Alan Ashworth Is Named Director of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center". University of California, San Francisco. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  17. ↑ "Alan Ashworth, PhD, FRS – UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center". cancer.ucsf.edu. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  18. ↑ "Find an EMBO member (searchable database of members)". EMBO. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  19. ↑ "Fellows: Professor Alan Ashworth FRS FMedSci". The Academy of Medical Science. Archived from the original on 20 August 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  20. ↑ "New Fellows 08 Agarwal – Cohen – New Fellows 2008 – The Royal Society". The Royal Society. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2010.
  21. ↑ "awardees". ESMO. Archived from the original on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  22. ↑ "Directory of Fellows". European Academy of Cancer Sciences. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012.
  23. ↑ "Press release: Alan Ashworth To Receive Award for His Breakthrough Work in Breast Cancer". Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
  24. ↑ "2010 Meyenburg Award for Discoverer of BRCA 2 Breast Cancer Gene". Dkfz.de. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  25. ↑ "Penn's Basser Research Center for BRCA Names UK Breast Cancer Researcher Alan Ashworth Winner of First Annual Basser Global Prize – PR News". Pennmedicine.org. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  26. ↑ "Ashworth Receives Award from Cancer Nonprofit". UC San Francisco. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  27. ↑ "International Symposium on Molecular Medicine & Infectious Disease Prize Winners – College of Medicine". Drexel.edu. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  28. ↑ "Board of Directors". Aacr.org. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  29. ↑ "Brinker Awards". Susan G. Komen. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.