Jerry Adams
Molecular Genetics of Cancer
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Australia
Biography
ProfessorJerryAdams BSc Emory PhD Harvard Joint Division Head Division: Molecular Genetics of Cancer
Research Interest
Impaired apoptosis is critical for tumorigenesis and a barrier to effective therapy. This concept arose from my laboratory’s seminal discovery that the Bcl-2 gene, known to be translocated in certain lymphomas, imposes cell survival. Our subsequent research with institute colleagues has helped to establish that interactions between proteins related to Bcl-2 determine whether a cell lives or commits suicide in response to diverse damage signals. These discoveries have galvanized the development of novel potential anti-cancer agents (‘BH3 mimetics’) that directly switch on apoptosis by engaging Bcl-2-like proteins.
