Amanda Fisher facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Prof Dame Amanda Fisher
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Fisher in 2016
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Amanda Gay Fisher
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| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
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| Thesis | Surface antigens expressed during myelopoiesis (1984) |
| Notable students | Kat Arney (postdoc) |
Dame Amanda Gay Fisher is a brilliant British scientist who studies cells. She is a top professor at the University of Oxford. She used to lead the Medical Research Council (MRC) London Institute of Medical Sciences. This is a big research center at Imperial College London.
Professor Fisher has made many important discoveries about how cells work. She helped us understand how certain genes in the HIV virus work. She also showed how important it is where a gene is located inside a cell's control center, called the cell nucleus.
After finishing her PhD, she became a researcher. She created the first working copies of the HIV virus. This was a huge step! It allowed other scientists to study the virus much better. Later, she became interested in epigenetics. This is about how genes can be turned on or off without changing the DNA itself. She studied this in special white blood cells called lymphocytes and in very early cells called embryonic stem cells. Her research now focuses on how cells remember which genes to turn on or off when they divide.
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Her Early Life and Studies
Amanda Fisher studied at the University of Birmingham. She earned her PhD in 1984. Her research was about special markers, called antigens, found on cells during their development.
During her PhD, she received a special scholarship in 1983. This allowed her to study how genes are controlled in the lab of Robert Gallo. He was a famous scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA.
Amazing Discoveries in Science
Professor Fisher's research has helped us understand how cells pass on instructions for turning genes on or off when they divide. She also looked into how cells decide what kind of cell they will become. She studies how genes are controlled and how cells change their identity.
Her work also includes understanding pluripotency. This is the ability of early cells to become any type of cell. She also studies how genes are organized inside cells. She uses modern tools to see how early cells stay flexible or turn into specific body parts like muscle, gut, or skin. She also studies how special white blood cells, called T cells and B cells, develop.
Understanding HIV/AIDS
Professor Fisher made very important discoveries about the HIV virus. These findings were key for future research. She created the first working copies of HIV. This allowed her and other scientists to study the virus's genes. She figured out what several of the HIV genes do. These discoveries have been very important for understanding HIV and similar viruses.
At the NIH, she found ways to put new DNA into human blood cells. She showed in 1985 that copies of HIV could create an active virus. This meant that the virus's own genes, not something else, were causing the problems. This discovery helped scientists study each viral gene. It also helped create tests for HIV infection.
Over the next four years, Professor Fisher showed that a gene called tat was needed for the virus to copy itself. She also found that other genes, like sor (now called vif), were important for the virus to spread between cells. Her work also showed that different HIV viruses from the same patient could be very different.
Studying Human T Cells
In 1987, Professor Fisher moved from the USA to the UK. She wanted to study how human T cells develop. T cells are a type of white blood cell that fights infections. In 1990, she set up the first human thymus organ cultures. This allowed scientists to study how T cells develop outside the body.
She then spent three more years learning about mouse genetics. In 1993, she joined the Clinical Sciences Centre (CSC). She later became its director in 2008. Her work at the CSC focused on understanding how genes are controlled when cells decide what they will become. In 2017, the CSC was renamed the MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (MRC LMS).
Genes, Cells, and Their Location
In 1997, Professor Fisher's team made an important discovery about a protein called Ikaros. They found that Ikaros proteins were located in a part of the cell nucleus where genes were turned off. This was one of the first clues that where a gene is located inside the nucleus might affect whether it is active or silent.
Her team developed special techniques to see the 3D structure of cells. This helped them understand how chromosomes and genes are arranged inside the nucleus. They found that some genes were moved to specific areas in the nucleus when they were turned off permanently. This showed that the location and structure of genes are important for keeping them silent.
Since 2003, Professor Fisher has been studying embryonic stem cells. These cells are like blank slates that can become any type of cell. She uses them to understand how cells decide what to become. In 2006, she found something surprising. Many genes in stem cells that decide what a cell will become had markers for both active and inactive genes. This suggested that these important genes might be "ready" to be turned on, but are kept quiet by special protein groups.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Professor Fisher has received many awards for her amazing work.
- In 2001, she became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
- In 2002, she won the EMBO Gold Medal. This was for her early work on HIV and her discoveries about how genes are organized inside the cell nucleus.
- In 2014, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK. Her nomination recognized her pioneering work on HIV, T cell development, stem cells, and how genes are controlled.
- In 2003, she became a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci). This was for her excellent contributions to medicine.
- In 2010, she received an 'Outstanding Women in Science Award' for her work in explaining science to the public.
- In 2015, she received the Helmholtz Association International Fellow award.
- In 2017, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This is a very special title given by the Queen. It was for her services to medical research and helping people understand science.
- In January 2023, Professor Fisher was chosen as the Whitley Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity College, Oxford.
