Press Release

Ten Cancer Research UK scientists become EMBO elect

Thursday 5 November 2009

Cancer Research UK Press Release

Ten Cancer Research UK funded scientists have been elected to the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) - a prestigious body which recognises and promotes talented scientists in the molecular life sciences field.

These experts are among 66 leading life scientists who have been awarded membership of EMBO this year. They join a select group of 1,420 of the world's most prominent molecular biologists from a cross-section of fields, including evolutionary and computational biology, neuroscience and plant science.

EMBO members contribute their expertise to a range of activities, including mentoring young scientists, serving on committees and nominating new members. EMBO is also known for its peer-reviewed journals - the EMBO Journal, EMBO reports, Molecular Systems Biology and EMBO Molecular Medicine.

One of the ten elected, Dr Simon Boulton, head of Cancer Research UK's DNA damage response laboratory at its London Research Institute, said: “I am greatly honoured by this election – it recognises our cutting edge science for the charity. My lab focuses on understanding the molecular basis of genome instability disorders, which predispose us to cancer. We are attempting to define how DNA damage is sensed and repaired in cells and how a process called homologous recombination, which promotes accurate repair of DNA lesions, is regulated during these critical cellular events.

The ten Cancer Research UK funded scientists elected this year are:

Dr Julia Cooper, Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute
Dr Facundo Batista, Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute
Dr Simon Boulton, Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute
Professor Mike Stratton, The Institute of Cancer Research, London
Professor Richard Marais, The Institute of Cancer Research, London
Professor Iain Hagan, Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Manchester
Professor Francis Barr, Cancer Research Centre, University of Liverpoo
Professor Ronald Hay, University of St Andrews
Professor Margaret Frame, Cancer Research UK's Edinburgh Cancer Centre
Professor Robert White, Cancer Research UK’s Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow

Dr David Scott, director of science funding at Cancer Research UK said: “We are very proud so many scientists funded by Cancer Research UK have been given this prestigious award. Membership of this distinguished scientific organisation recognises their innovative research, and the hard work of their colleagues, that is helping us to better understand more about the causes of cancer.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 7061 8309 or, out of hours, the duty press officer on 07050 264 059.