Bryan Williams (professor)

Bryan Raymond George Williams Hon. FRSNZ, FAA (born 1949) is a molecular biologist from New Zealand, with expertise in innate immunity and cancer biology. He is emeritus director and distinguished scientist at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, and professor in the Department of Molecular and Translational Science at Monash University.[1]

Bryan Raymond George Williams
Professor Bryan Williams
Professor Bryan Williams
Born1949
Mosgiel, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealander/ Canadian
EducationThe Taieri High School, Mosgiel, New Zealand; University of Otago
Medical career
FieldMolecular biology
InstitutionsHudson Institute of Medical Research Monash University

Background and early career

Williams graduated in 1973, from the University of Otago, New Zealand, with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in microbiology. He was awarded his PhD from the department of microbiology, University of Otago in 1976. He then moved to the UK to undertake postdoctoral training at the National Institute for Medical Research in Mill Hill, London, where he worked on the biochemistry of interferon action.[2][3][4]

Research career

In 1980, Williams relocated to Toronto, Canada, where he held positions at the Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto. He continued to work on the mechanisms of interferon action [5] and reported the sequence of the interferon-induced protein kinase R.[6] He also worked on the characterisation of the Wilms tumour gene.[7][8] He was recruited to the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, USA in 1991, where he led the Department of Cancer Biology until 2005. In 2003, the Williams research group published a highly cited paper on the innate immune stimulatory activities of small interfering RNAs,[9] which has had important implications for the therapeutic development of small interfering RNAs.[10]

In January 2006, Williams was appointed as the director of the Monash Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia,[11] where he established the Centre for Cancer Research.[12] Following the merger of the Monash Institute of Medical Research with Prince Henry's Institute in 2014, he was appointed director and CEO of the new organisation, which was renamed the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in 2015.[13] His current research remains focused on cell signalling in innate immunity and cancer.

Appointments

From 2006 to 2013, Williams served as chair of the board of directors of MEI Pharma, a cancer therapy company.[14] He was a member of the Consultative Council of the Victorian Cancer Agency (2009–2012) and served on the board of directors of Cancer Trials Australia (2009–2015).[15]

Williams currently serves as chair of the board of BioGrid Australia Ltd,[16] and is a member of the board of directors of Pacific Edge Ltd, a cancer diagnostics company.[17] He is a member of the board of trustees of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research (Newport, Rhode Island, USA)[18] and is chair of the selection panel for the Premier's Award for Health and Medical Research, Victoria.[19]

He is currently an editor of Journal of Virology (2013–2018)[20] and was chair of the publications committee of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society from 2010 to 2016.[21]

Awards and honours
  • 1990: Milstein Award, International Society for Interferon Research [22]
  • 1997: Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand [23]
  • 1998–1999: President of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research [24]
  • 2005: Maurice Saltzman Award, The Mt Sinai Health Care Foundation[25]
  • 2006: Dolph Adams Award, Journal of Leukocyte Biology [26]
  • 2008: Boltzmann Award, International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research [27]
  • 2013: Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology [28]
  • 2013: Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science [29]

References
  1. "Bryan Williams › Explore our Research". Monash.edu. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  2. Clemens MJ and Williams BRG (1978) Inhibition of cell-free protein synthesis by pppA2'p5'A2'p5' A: a novel oligonucleotide synthesized by interferon-treated L cell extracts. Cell 13:565–572, doi:10.1016/0092-8674(78)90329-X].
  3. Williams BRG and Kerr IM (1978) Inhibition of protein synthesis by 2′-5′ linked adenine nucleotides in intact cells. Nature 276:88–90, doi:10.1038/276088a0.
  4. Williams BRG, Golgher RR, Brown RE, Gilbert CS and Kerr IM (1979) Natural occurrence of 2-5A in interferon-treated EMC virus-infected L cells. Nature 282:582–586, doi:10.1038/282582a0.
  5. Hannigan GE and Williams BRG (1991) Signal transduction by interferon-alpha through arachidonic acid metabolism. Science 251:204–207, doi:10.1126/science.1898993.
  6. Meurs E, Chong K, Galabru J, Thomas NSB, Kerr IM, Williams BRG and Hovanessian AG (1990) Molecular cloning and characterization of the human double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase induced by interferon. Cell 62:379–390, doi:10.1016/0092-8674(90)90374-N.
  7. Huang A, Campbell CE, Bonetta L, McAndrews-Hill MS, Chilton-MacNeil S, Coppes MJ, Law DJ, Feinberg AP, Yeger H and Williams BRG (1990) Tissue, developmental, and tumor-specific expression of divergent transcripts in Wilms tumor. Science 250:991–994, doi:10.1126/science.2173145.
  8. Bonetta L, Kuehn SE, Huang A, Law DJ, Kalikin LM, Koi M, Reeve AE, Browstein BH, Yeger H, Williams BRG and Feinberg AP (1990) Wilms tumor locus on 11p13 defined by multiple CpG island-associated transcripts. Science 250:994–997, doi:10.1126/science.2173146.
  9. Sledz CA, Holko M, de Veer MJ, Silverman RH and Williams BRG (2003) Activation of the interferon system by short-interfering RNAs. Nat Cell Biol 5:834–839, doi:10.1038/ncb1038.
  10. Marques JT and Williams BRG (2005) Activation of the mammalian immune system by siRNAs. Nat Biotechnol 23:1399–1405, doi:10.1038/nbt1161.
  11. "Discovery : Annual Report 2006 : Monash Institute of Medical Research" (PDF). Hudson.org.au. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  12. "Spotlight : Medical Research at Monash" (PDF). Med.monash.edu.au. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  13. "New name for MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research" (PDF). Med.monash.edu.au. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  14. "NewsRoom". Investor.meipharma.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  15. "Cancer Trails Australia : Annual Report 2009" (PDF). Cancertrialaustralia.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  16. "BioGrid Australia – BioGrid Australia Ltd Board". Biogrid.org. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  17. "Board – Pacific Edge". Pacificedgedx.com. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  18. "Board of Trustees – The Hope Funds for Cancer Research". Hope-funds.org. 25 August 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  19. "Governor of Victoria – Speech : 2013 Premier's Health and Medical Research Awards". Governor.vic.gov.au. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  20. "Journal of Virology, Editorial Board". Jvi.asm.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  21. "Committees". Cytokines-interferons. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  22. Parallelus (24 May 1990). "Bryan R.G. Williams, Ph.D. – The Milstein Awards". Milstein-award.org. Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  23. "List of Current Honorary Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand". Royalsociety.org. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  24. "Newsletter" (PDF). Cytokines-interferons.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  25. "Legacy Fall 2005.FA.03" (PDF). Mtsinaifoundation.org. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  26. "Sign In". Jleukbio.org. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  27. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. "Fellows Elected in 2013". Academy.asm.org. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  29. "Outstanding Australian scientists recognised with election to the Australian Academy of Science – Australian Academy of Science". Science.org.au. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
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