Professor Michael Stratton FRS

Oration topic:
Evolution of the Cancer Genome

Michael Stratton is Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. His significant contributions to cancer research include the discovery of the breast cancer gene.  Professor Stratton was the final speaker in the UQ Centenary Oration Series. 

On 7 December 2010, this leading UK cancer expert spoke about how insights into the evolutionary processes underlying the development of individual human cancers can form the foundation of our understanding of cancer causation, prevention and treatment in the future.

Listen to the Oration

Pre-Oration interview UQ News Online

Listen to the oration (.mp3 / 30MB)

About the speaker

Professor Stratton qualified in medicine at Oxford University and Guy’s Hospital, obtained a PhD in the molecular biology of cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and  trained as a histopathologist.

His primary research interests have been in the genetics of cancer.  He mapped to chromosome 13 and identified the high risk breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2, has subsequently identified moderate risk breast cancer susceptibility genes including CHEK2, ATM, BRIP1 and PALB2 and characterised the histopathological features of breast cancers in individuals carrying susceptibility alleles.  He identified the gene for hereditary cylindromatosis, a highly disfiguring predisposition to adnexal skin tumours, as well as other susceptibility genes for testis, colorectal, thyroid, and childhood cancers.

In 2000 Michael initiated the Cancer Genome Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, which conducts high throughput, systematic genome-wide searches for somatic mutations in human cancer.  The primary aims of this work are to identify new cancer genes, to understand processes of mutagenesis and to reveal the role of genome structure in determining abnormalities of cancer genomes.  Through these studies he discovered mutations in the BRAF gene in malignant melanoma, mutations of the ERBB2 gene in lung cancer, and mutations of histone methylases and demethylases in renal and other cancers.  He has described the basic patterns of somatic mutation in cancer genomes and used next generation sequencing to generate the first comprehensive catalogue of somatic mutations in cancer genomes.

When

Tuesday 7 December @ 6.15pm for 6.30pm

 

We have now reached capacity for the venue and cannot accept further registrations.  If you wish to be placed on a waiting list, please email the Office of Protocol with your name and preferred email contact.  We will contact you if a seat becomes available.

Where

The Long Room,
Customs House,
399 Queen Street,
Brisbane City, QLD
[see map]

Info

 

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