Dr Richard Treisman, biochemist, molecular biologist and
Research Director at the Francis Crick Institute, has been knighted
in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to biomedical science
and to cancer research.
Richard's research seeks to understand at the molecular level how
chemical signals arriving at a cell's surface are transmitted to
the cell nucleus to alter the expression of specific genes.
His main focus is on a system known as the SRF network, which
regulates expression both of genes important for cell
proliferation, and for cell movement and adhesion, functions
critical for cancer cell growth and spread.
Richard Treisman received his PhD in 1981, for work on virus gene
expression with Bob Kamen at the former Imperial Cancer Research
fund. Following postdoctoral work in the USA with Tom Maniatis, he
joined the staff of the Medical Research Council Laboratory for
Molecular Biology in Cambridge in 1984, where he started working on
how gene transcription is regulated by growth factors. He continued
this work after he returned to the ICRF in 1988. A major current
research interest is in how changes in the activity of the cell's
dynamic internal framework - the 'cytoskeleton' - are transformed
into changes in gene expression.
Richard became Director of Laboratory Research at the Imperial
Cancer Research Fund in 1999, and Director of the Cancer Research
UK London Research Institute upon the foundation of CRUK in 2002.
He is currently a Research Director at the Francis Crick
Institute.
Richard is member of EMBO, a Fellow of the Royal Society and a
Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. He was awarded the EMBO
medal in 1995 and the Jeantet Prize for Medicine in 2002.
Sir Paul Nurse, Director of the Francis Crick institute, said: "I
am absolutely delighted that Richard's world-leading contributions
have been recognised with a knighthood. Having worked with him over
many years I greatly respect both his research and his leadership.
I speak for all our colleagues at the Crick in congratulating him
for this well-deserved honour."
Sir Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said:
"This is wonderful news and fantastic recognition for Richard's
work. He has spent his career working to better understand the
complexity of cancer, and how our cells regulate DNA and coordinate
gene activity. He has also been instrumental in identifying and
mentoring outstanding young scientists who have gone on to become
world leaders in their fields.
"In 2000 Richard became director of the Cancer Research UK London
Research Institute, and under his leadership the Institute became a
powerhouse of ground-breaking research that grew in reputation
across the world.
"The charity is very lucky to have been able to support so much of
his work, since the early days of his PhD when we were the Imperial
Cancer Research Fund, and with his ongoing role as a research
director at the Francis Crick Institute, we look forward to many
more years of working together. It's only through work such as
Richard's that we're able to develop discovering new ways to
prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. This is thoroughly deserved and
I'm delighted for Richard."
Richard said: "This is a wonderful honour, one which reflects the
efforts of the many talented people who have worked with me, and
the outstanding research organisations that have supported my
research over the years."
