Professor Bernard Golding

Biography

Besides teaching 50 undergraduate and postgraduate lectures per year (see the Teaching section), my main activities are spread across two research groups (radical enzymes and anticancer drug discovery) and a spin-out company (NewChem, located in the School of Chemistry) for which I am scientific director. I currently supervise or co-supervise over 25 personnel in the School of Chemistry, a number that includes postdoctoral chemists in NewChem. Please go to the Research section for details of ongoing projects. 2012 is a major milestone in my research career as my 100th PhD student will graduate. Qualifications BSc and PhD (University of Manchester) Research Publications Total Number of Publications: > 380 which includes > 300 research papers, 31 reviews and 4 edited books (but excludes published abstracts). Total Number of Patents: 43 listed in espacenet.com (27 in the period 2008-2012 inclusive) mainly for drug development projects (treatment of cancer, essential thrombocythemia, Alzheimer’s disease, severe pain, gastrointestinal disturbances). Recent Awards Honorary DPhil (2005, University of Stockholm, awarded alongside J Saramago, the 1998 Nobel Prize winner for literature). Co-winner of First Translational Research Prize (2010, Cancer Research UK) Extramural Interests Walking and cycling; improving animal welfare; cinema

Research Interest

Although I was trained as a synthetic organic chemist, working under Professor A Eschenmoser on the total synthesis of vitamin B12, my main interests today are the application of synthesis to the solution of problems in biology and medicine. This can mean the synthesis of isotopically labelled substrates for studying an enzyme mechanism or the synthesis of potential drugs for treating cancer. Synthesis is therefore central to all our studies and I am always looking for new ways to expedite reactions and improve methodology. Mechanistic studies are also a major focus, especially the catalytic reactions of radical enzymes. I collaborate widely in order to maximise our ability to solve interdisciplinary problems. At Newcastle, besides my separate research group studying radical enzymes, I work within a team of scientists developing new drugs against cancer targets. In 2010, we were awarded the first translational research prize from Cancer Research UK for our pioneering work on inhibitors of the DNA repair enzyme poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase. I also have a number of international collaborations, currently involving scientists in Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. My co-workers often spend time in collaborator’s laboratories and there are frequently visitors from abroad. My group is multinational with students or postdocs from China, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Poland and Spain, as well as the UK. I have supervised/co-supervised nearly 100 research students, all of whom obtained the PhD degree. My research is funded by a variety of sources including the European Commission, German Research Foundation (DFG), UK Research Councils, Cancer Research UK and the pharmaceutical industry. In addition to my academic research, I am co-director of the spin-out company NewChem, which is housed in laboratories in the School of Chemistry. This research-based operation with 18 employees works in collaboration with pharmaceutical partners to develop new therapeutic agents.