5 August 2013
£2.5million MRC senior fellowship award for cancer researcher
Dr Victoria Cowling, of the University of Dundee, has been awarded a prestigious Medical Research Council Senior Non-Clinical Fellowship to continue her ground breaking research on how mutations in cancer genes can result in tumours forming.
The Fellowship will provide Dr Cowling, who is based in the Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU) at Dundee, with £2.5million over seven years to build upon the discoveries that her research group has made over the last five years.
Dr Cowling made a major molecular discovery about how genes are regulated and how mutations in cancer genes promote unrestrained cell growth which can result in tumour formation.
r Cowling's research has revealed a completely unexpected and critical role of a chemical structure within cells called the 'mRNA methyl cap'. She has shown that the mRNA methyl cap operates as a master integrator of cellular signals which drives protein production in the cell. This research has revealed a new fundamental biological process relevant to understanding how all cells regulate cell growth. Research in this area has taken on added urgency as her results suggest that mutations in several genes that cause cancer may exert their influence through methyl cap formation and function.
Dr Cowling now plans to build upon her initial discoveries to investigate how mutations in genes that drive cancers impact on the machinery that controls the methyl cap.
'A major goal is to exploit this knowledge to develop new approaches and technology to devise future anti-cancer drugs,' said Dr Cowling. 'The aim of our research is to counteract cancer-causing genes by targeting the machinery controlling the mRNA methyl cap.'
Upon receiving news of the prize Dr Cowling said, 'I am very grateful to receive the MRC Senior Fellowship. This generous long-term funding gives us the freedom to pursue the most important and interesting questions and to take our research in new directions. I'd like to thank the members of my lab and other labs in Dundee for their contributions to this Fellowship.'
Professor Dario Alessi, Director of the MRC-PPU, added, 'I am delighted that Vicky has been able to secure this esteemed
Fellowship to pursue her important research into better understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control protein production.
This is a very important area of research of great relevance to better understanding diseases such as cancer. Vicky was the only
scientist in the United Kingdom to be awarded an MRC Senior Non-Clinial Fellowship in this round, an indication of the
exceptionally high quality of her research.'
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Medical Research Council has been at the forefront of scientific discovery to improve human health. Founded in 1913 to
tackle tuberculosis, the MRC now invests taxpayers' money in some of the best medical research in the world across every area
of health. Twenty-nine MRC-funded researchers have won Nobel prizes in a wide range of disciplines, and MRC scientists have been
behind such diverse discoveries as vitamins, the structure of DNA and the link between smoking and cancer, as well as achievements
such as pioneering the use of randomised controlled trials, the invention of MRI scanning, and the development of a group of
antibodies used in the making of some of the most successful drugs ever developed. Today, MRC-funded scientists tackle some of
the greatest health problems facing humanity in the 21st century, from the rising tide of chronic diseases associated with
ageing to the threats posed by rapidly mutating micro-organisms. www.mrc.ac.uk. The MRC Centenary Timeline chronicles 100 years
of life-changing discoveries and shows how our research has had a lasting influence on healthcare and wellbeing in the UK and
globally, right up to the present day. www.centenary.mrc.ac.uk.
About the MRC-PPU
The MRC-PPU was established in 1990 by the MRC to investigate the role that protein phosphorylation play in regulating human
diseases and originally comprised two research groups less than 20 staff lead by its previous Director Sir Philip Cohen.
During this period the Unit has expanded substantially and by the end of 2013 will comprise 20 major research groups. The
MRC-PPU has trained over 100 PhD students, 300 postdocs, and provided tremendous employment opportunities for many talented
support staff. Its researchers have published over 500 research papers that have greatly contributed to our understanding
of human diseases such as cancer, immune disorders and neurodegeneration. Most of the researchers who have worked in our
Unit have gone on to highly successful careers all over the world that include starting companies, running major research
institutes and laboratories, working in pharmaceutical companies as well as undertaking senior administrative roles.
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