Barry Austin Gusterson | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | 24 October 1946
Alma mater | Royal Dental Hospital, St Bartholomew's Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research [1] |
Known for | Initiating the Toby Robins Cancer Research Centre in London[ citation needed ] and the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Centre in Glasgow. [2] [3] Work on EGFR in head and neck cancer [4] [5] and studies of HER2 in breast cancer [6] and in human breast development [7] [8] |
Spouse | Ann Josephine Davies (m. 1972) |
Awards | |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Pathology, Cancer |
Institutions | |
Thesis | In Vitro Study of Tumour Associated Opiate Receptors and Tumour Derived Opioid Activity [1] (1980) |
Barry Austin Gusterson (born 24 October 1946) [1] is an Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the University of Glasgow (retired 2010). He was previously Professor of Pathology and Head of the Section of Molecular Pathology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, and Founding Director of the Toby Robins Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre [11] [12] (re-named the Toby Robins Breast Cancer Now Research Centre).[ citation needed ] In 2000-2010 he was Professor of Pathology in Glasgow and was the project lead responsible for building the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Centre. [2] [3] He is known for his research on EGFR in head and neck cancer, [4] [5] and HER2 in breast cancer [6] and breast development. [7] [8]
Gusterson was educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School [ citation needed ] and obtained a BSc in Physiology at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He then obtained a dental degree (BDS) at the Royal Dental Hospital and a medical degree (MBBS (Hons)) at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Whilst at the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden Hospital he obtained a PhD and an MRCPath. [1]
Gusterson held posts in medicine and surgery at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and was appointed as Professor of Histopathology at the Institute of Cancer Research and Consultant at the Royal Marsden Hospital in 1986. Whilst at the Institute he held a number of senior positions, including Chairman of the Section of Cell Biology and Experimental Pathology and as a Director on the Institute Governing body. [13] He initiated the concept to build the first dedicated breast cancer research centre and was appointed Founding Director of the Toby Robins, Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre in 1998. [11] [12] His contribution was acknowledged in a Woman’s Hour survey published in the Radio Times in 1996 – ‘top 50 men that women rate’. [14] In 2000 he moved to Glasgow University, where he held a number of positions as Professor of Pathology, and Head of Forensic Science and Medicine, which won an £18.5 M contract from the Crown Office in 2006. [15] Alongside this, he initiated and was Director of the Glasgow Biobank. [2] As Associate Dean for Research in the Medical Faculty and Head of Cancer Sciences he restructured Cancer Sciences. Gusterson chaired the pan-Glasgow pathology Committee that resulted in the unification of all pathology departments across Glasgow and Clyde into a new purpose built building at the Southern General Hospital. [2] In his role as Project Lead, Gusterson was responsible for the building of the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Centre at the Garscube Estate. [2] [5] [16] [17] The two cancer centres initiated by Gusterson were both developed as major fund-raising projects, in which he played a key role as the clinical lead. Gusterson retired in 2011 and became a Director of Moorfield’s Eye Charity [18] and a member of Council for St George's, University of London. [19]
Human Squamous Cell Carcinomas and Skin
Gusterson has 324 cited publications in Semantic Scholar [20] and 302 in Research Gate [21]
Gusterson’s early work focused on in vitro studies of differentiation of human oral mucosa, skin and squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. [22] [23] This led to the demonstration of the normal human tissue distribution [24] and overexpression and amplification of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (EGFR) as a feature of squamous cell carcinomas. [4] [5] EGFR is now a target for therapy in Head and Neck cancer, but with limited success. [25] Later studies with Tim Crook and others demonstrated the high expression of p53 in head and neck cancer [26] and mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast cancers. [27] [28]
The differentiated normal skin in vitro was used for human skin grafts in burns patients. [29] [30] [31]
Breast Cancer and Normal Breast Development
Work was mainly based on clinico-pathological studies of human breast cancer and normal breast development. Working as Director of Pathology for the International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) a BioBank was established for international clinical trials [32] and a Translational Research Working Group [33] to assess research proposals which Gusterson chaired. This collaboration resulted in numerous publications, including the demonstration of c-erbB-2 (HER2) overexpression as a prognostic indicator in breast cancer [6] and suggested a cut point to define patients that would later benefit from Herceptin. [34] Interpretation of the molecular classifications of breast cancer in the context of the normal lineages in the breast gave insights into the limitations of these new technologies. [35] [36] [37] Work on human breast development described the cell types involved in differentiation of the human breast and their biological significance. [38] [39] [40] [41] Gusterson is also known as an expert in the pathology of animal models of human breast cancer [42] and studies on the biology of involution. [43] With Beatrice Howard the locus was defined for breast development in the mouse mammary gland. [44] [45]
Human Sarcomas
Collaborations with Janet Shipley and Colin Cooper resulted in the identification of translocations and genes in a number of soft tissue sarcomas. [46] [47] [48] [49]
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2024 (link)A mammary gland is an exocrine gland in humans and other mammals that produces milk to feed young offspring. Mammals get their name from the Latin word mamma, "breast". The mammary glands are arranged in organs such as the breasts in primates, the udder in ruminants, and the dugs of other animals. Lactorrhea, the occasional production of milk by the glands, can occur in any mammal, but in most mammals, lactation, the production of enough milk for nursing, occurs only in phenotypic females who have gestated in recent months or years. It is directed by hormonal guidance from sex steroids. In a few mammalian species, male lactation can occur. With humans, male lactation can occur only under specific circumstances.
Autocrine signaling is a form of cell signaling in which a cell secretes a hormone or chemical messenger that binds to autocrine receptors on that same cell, leading to changes in the cell. This can be contrasted with paracrine signaling, intracrine signaling, or classical endocrine signaling.
Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is a milk-transmitted retrovirus like the HTL viruses, HI viruses, and BLV. It belongs to the genus Betaretrovirus. MMTV was formerly known as Bittner virus, and previously the "milk factor", referring to the extra-chromosomal vertical transmission of murine breast cancer by adoptive nursing, demonstrated in 1936, by John Joseph Bittner while working at the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine. Bittner established the theory that a cancerous agent, or "milk factor", could be transmitted by cancerous mothers to young mice from a virus in their mother's milk. The majority of mammary tumors in mice are caused by mouse mammary tumor virus.
The epidermal growth factor receptor is a transmembrane protein that is a receptor for members of the epidermal growth factor family of extracellular protein ligands.
Amphiregulin, also known as AREG, is a protein synthesized as a transmembrane glycoprotein with 252 aminoacids and it is encoded by the AREG gene. in humans.
The prolactin receptor (PRLR) is a type I cytokine receptor encoded in humans by the PRLR gene on chromosome 5p13-14. It is the receptor for prolactin (PRL). The PRLR can also bind to and be activated by growth hormone (GH) and human placental lactogen (hPL). The PRLR is expressed in the mammary glands, pituitary gland, and other tissues. It plays an important role in lobuloalveolar development of the mammary glands during pregnancy and in lactation.
The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) receptor is a protein found on the surface of human cells. It is a transmembrane receptor that is activated by a hormone called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and by a related hormone called IGF-2. It belongs to the large class of tyrosine kinase receptors. This receptor mediates the effects of IGF-1, which is a polypeptide protein hormone similar in molecular structure to insulin. IGF-1 plays an important role in growth and continues to have anabolic effects in adults – meaning that it can induce hypertrophy of skeletal muscle and other target tissues. Mice lacking the IGF-1 receptor die late in development, and show a dramatic reduction in body mass. This testifies to the strong growth-promoting effect of this receptor.
A papillary hidradenoma, also termed hidradenoma papilliferum or mammary-like gland adenoma of the vulva, is a rare, but nonetheless most common benign tumor that occurs in and between anal and genital regions of females. These hidradenomas are sharply circumscribed, nodular tumors that usually develop in women's anogenital area but uncommonly occur in other sites in women and men. Papillary hidradenomas that develop outside of the anogenital region are termed ecctopic papillary hidradenomas or ectopic hidradenoma papilliferums.
Estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) also known as NR3A2 is one of two main types of estrogen receptor—a nuclear receptor which is activated by the sex hormone estrogen. In humans ERβ is encoded by the ESR2 gene.
Receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-3, also known as HER3, is a membrane bound protein that in humans is encoded by the ERBB3 gene.
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A is a protein that in humans is encoded by the STAT5A gene. STAT5A orthologs have been identified in several placentals for which complete genome data are available.
Proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src, also known as proto-oncogene c-Src, or simply c-Src, is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase protein that in humans is encoded by the SRC gene. It belongs to a family of Src family kinases and is similar to the v-Src gene of Rous sarcoma virus. It includes an SH2 domain, an SH3 domain and a tyrosine kinase domain. Two transcript variants encoding the same protein have been found for this gene.
Protein SSXT is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SS18 gene.
T-box transcription factor TBX3 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the TBX3 gene.
Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare soft tissue sarcoma arising from mesenchymal tissue and characterized by epithelioid-like features. It accounts for less than 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas. It was first definitively characterized by F.M. Enzinger in 1970. It commonly presents itself in the distal limbs of young adults as a small, soft mass or a cluster of bumps. A proximal version has also been described, frequently occurring in the upper extremities. Less commonly, cases are reported in the pelvis, vulva, penis, and spine.
Breast development, also known as mammogenesis, is a complex biological process in primates that takes place throughout a female's life.
In molecular biology miR-205 microRNA is a short RNA molecule. MicroRNAs function to regulate the expression levels of other genes by several mechanisms. They are involved in numerous cellular processes, including development, proliferation, and apoptosis. Currently, it is believed that miRNAs elicit their effect by silencing the expression of target genes.
Breast cancer metastatic mouse models are experimental approaches in which mice are genetically manipulated to develop a mammary tumor leading to distant focal lesions of mammary epithelium created by metastasis. Mammary cancers in mice can be caused by genetic mutations that have been identified in human cancer. This means models can be generated based upon molecular lesions consistent with the human disease.
Valerie Speirs is a Professor of Molecular Oncology at the University of Aberdeen. Her research aims to identify biomarkers of breast cancer to inform diagnosis and treatment.
Jose Russo is a senior member and professor at Fox Chase Cancer Center, director of both the Irma H Russo, MD- Breast Cancer Research Laboratory and the Environment Research Center at FCCC-Temple Health. He is also a professor of biochemistry at the Temple Medical School in Philadelphia and an adjunct professor in pathology and cell biology at Thomas Jefferson College of Medicine.