Groundbreaking research that may have important implications for liver cancer treatment has secured a prestigious award for a Cancer Research UK scientist.
Dr Simon Boulton, a Senior Group Leader at Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute (now part of the Francis Crick Institute), was awarded the 2011 European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Gold Medal on 20 April. This annual award recognises the outstanding contributions of young researchers in the molecular life sciences.
The Senior Group Leader at Cancer Research UK's London Research Institute received the award in recognition of his groundbreaking research on DNA repair mechanisms. The election committee was particularly impressed by his pioneering role in establishing the nematode worm, C. elegans, as a model system to study genome instability.
On hearing the news Dr Boulton said: "I am delighted and honoured to receive such a prestigious award."
Cancer Research UK is part of the consortium behind the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation (UKCMRI). The London Research Institute is one of the founding institutes of UKCMRI - its scientists will work with colleagues from the MRC's National Institute for Medical Research when the new laboratories open in 2015.
UKCMRI is an unprecedented partnership between four of the world's leading biomedical research organisations: the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust and UCL (University College London). It will carry out research of the highest quality using the latest technology to advance understanding of human health and disease.
The institute will be constructed on 3.6 acres of land at Brill Place, to the north of the British Library in the St Pancras and Somers Town area of north London.
