Clifford A. Lingwood

Biography

His BSc was a joint degree in Biochemistry and Zoology. His PhD at the Middlesex Hospital Medical School and National Institute for Medical Research Mill Hill was on tumour cell cycle control under Dr D.B.Thomas. He was a post doc with Dr Sen Hakomori in Seattle, where He learnt about glycosphingolipids(GSLs) and Dr Harry Schachter in Toronto where He learnt about glycoproteins, but worked on GSLs. His research has been focussed on the function of GSLs in normal and pathophysiology, in particular on how the variable lipid moiety and its membrane environment affects function. Early work on GSL binding in spermatogenesis lead to assays which defined the GSL receptor for verotoxin (VT, shiga toxin). they found this GSL (Gb3) played a key role in VT-induced hemolytic uremic syndrome(E.coli hamburger disease). Gb3 was increased in many human cancers and their neovasculature and proposed VT as a novel antineoplastic. The male germ cell work also defined a GSL binding for hsp 70. Our development of the chemistry to generate water soluble GSL-adamantane conjugates which retained membrane receptor function, lead to a sulfogalactosyl ceramide-derived inhibitor of hsp70 and a Gb3-based inhibitor of HIV. Current work is directed to generation of a drug-like version of the latter. they showed the accumulation of GSLs and cholesterol in membrane lipid rafts results in the masking of GSL carbohydrate within the GSL/cholesterol complex. This has widespread implications, and is particularly prevalent in cancer cells.

Research Interest

Biological functions of glycosphingolipids