Sir Anthony Epstein Annual Lecture 2025

Join us for our annual lecture, this year we have invited Professor Sir David Lane from the Karolinska Institutet and Chairman of Chugai Pharmabody in Singapore.

Professor Sir David Lane is currently a Professor at the Karolinska Institute, and Chairman of Chugai Pharmabody in Singapore. He is a world-renowned immunologist, molecular biologist and cancer researcher. He is recognised as one of the scientists responsible for the pivotal discovery of the cancer gene p53 in 1979. Referred to as the "Guardian of the genome" p53 is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancers, with alterations present in more than half of all tumours.

Lecture title: How does the p53 tumour suppressor gene protect us from cancer?

Further infomation about the lecture:

The Tp53 gene on our chromosome 17 encodes a 393 amino acid protein that was first discovered in 1979. Mutations in the p53 gene are very frequent and all of us harbour cells that have alterations in this gene as we age.

Fifty percent of the major human cancers have mutant Tp53 and in ovarian cancer this approaches one hundred percent of cases. Inheritance of a germ line mutation in Tp53 is the cause of the devastating Li-Fraumeni cancer family syndrome associated with very early onset brain and muscle/connective tissue cancers (sarcomas).

Tp53 is also a breast cancer gene with Li-Fraumeni patients often developing this cancer as young adults. Intense study of p53 structure and function has shown that the gene is very highly conserved and very tightly regulated. Cancer resistant species, bats, blind mole rats, naked mole rats and elephants all have enhanced p53 activities. The p53 pathway is induced by many different stress signals and operates through p53 protein accumulation via inhibition of its degradation and stimulation of its function as a transcription factor driving expression of DNA repair, Cell cycle inhibitor and Apoptosis inducing genes.

The complexity of the pathway is almost overwhelming with over a hundred thousand publications listed. A complete consensus on how p53 protects us from cancer has not been reached. Nevertheless, some very exciting new drugs that target the pathway are showing clinical efficacy. The p53 story is full of twists and turns, mistakes and breakthroughs that vividly illustrate how science makes progress through constant questioning of what we think we know!

Further information about Professor Sir David Lane:

Professor Sir David Lane is currently a Professor at the Karolinska Institute, and Chairman of Chugai Pharmabody in Singapore. He is a world-renowned immunologist, molecular biologist and cancer researcher. He is recognised as one of the scientists responsible for the pivotal discovery of the cancer gene p53 in 1979. Referred to as the "Guardian of the genome" p53 is the most commonly mutated gene in human cancers, with alterations present in more than half of all tumours.

Professor Lane was previously Chief Scientist of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore (2009-2021), and the Chairman of A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) scientific advisory board from 2002-2003 and Executive Director, IMCB from 2004-2007, where he added on a translational focus to IMCB’s core strengths in basic R&D recruited many outstanding scientists and personally led efforts to foster greater collaboration, both within and outside of IMCB. He was also the founding CEO of A*STAR’s Experimental Therapeutics Centre, set up in 2006. Professor Lane put in place a robust team of more than 60 scientists and built-up top-of-the-line technological platforms essential for the drug discovery process.

Chugai Pharmabody has been chaired by Professor Lane since its establishment in Singapore in 2012. It is now the largest Research Site of Chugai outside Japan, with a staff of 140 scientists and has an annual budget in excess of 60 million SGD. Recently Professor Lane was created an Honorary Citizen of Singapore.

Professor Lane was also previously the Director of the Cancer Research UK Cell Transformation Research Group and Professor of Oncology at the University of Dundee in Scotland. In 1996 he founded the Biotechnology Company, Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, and acted as Director and CSO up to the time it joined NASDAQ. He also held the position of the first Chief Scientist of Cancer Research UK and was the Scientific Director of the Ludwig Institute.

For his efforts in cancer research, Professor Lane was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year honours list in January 2000. He has won many awards such as the Paul Ehrlich Prize in 1998, the Buchanan Medal in 2004, and the Medal of Honor from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2005 and in 2008, the Royal Medal from the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and a Fellow of UK’s premier scientific academies, the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a founder member of the Academy of Medical Science. He is a foreign member of the US National Academy of Science, and holds honorary degrees from a number of UK and European Universities.

Further details about the lecture series:

The Sir Anthony Epstein lecture was inaugurated at the University of Bristol in 2009 to recognise the achievements of outstanding scientists in the fields of cancer biology, infection and immunology. It celebrates the achievements of Sir Anthony Epstein who was Professor of Pathology at Bristol University (1968-85) and one of the discoverers of the Epstein-Barr virus. Earlier in the year we were sad to hear that Professor Sir Anthony Epstein CBE FRS passed away aged 102. You can read our remembrance on our news page.

Useful information and contact details:

Photography:

Please note there may be photographs taken at the event to be published online or on social media. Please let a member of staff know if you do not wish to be photographed.

Accessibility and dietary requirements:

We will endeavour to assist guests with any accessibility requests, please use the contact details below. For the drinks reception, we will offer light nibbles and drinks, we endevour to make all our events nut-free and will cater where possible for other key dietary requirements.

Contact us:

If you have any queries regarding accessibility or otherwise please email the Executive Support Team at cmm-admin@bristol.ac.uk.