Richard Marais facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Marais
FRS FMedSci MAE
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Marais in 2018
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| Alma mater | University College London Imperial College London |
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| Thesis | Comparative studies on protein kinase C isotypes (1989) |
| Doctoral advisor | Peter Parker |
| Other academic advisors | Richard Treisman Chris Marshall |
Richard Malcolm Marais is a British scientist who has done important research on cancer, especially a type of skin cancer called melanoma. He used to be the Director of the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Manchester Institute and a Professor at the University of Manchester.
Richard Marais's Education
Richard Marais studied at University College London. In 1985, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Genetics and Microbiology. This means he learned about how living things inherit traits and about tiny living organisms.
He then continued his studies at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. In 1989, he received his PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) degree. For his PhD, he researched special proteins called protein kinase C (PKC) enzymes, which are important for how cells work.
Marais's Career and Cancer Research
Richard Marais's main goal in his research is to understand melanoma and other cancers better. He wants to find new and improved ways to treat patients.
His work has greatly helped us understand how melanoma develops and grows. He studied specific signals inside cells, especially a protein called B-RAF. These signals are like messages that tell cells what to do.
Marais helped turn his discoveries into real treatments for patients. He found out why some cancer treatments stop working (this is called drug resistance). He also helped develop new medicines that target BRAF and other cancer-causing parts of cells.
His research also shows how important it is to use sunscreen and avoid too much sun. This can help reduce the risk of getting melanoma.
Richard Marais started his career as a postdoctoral researcher in London. He worked on a gene called c-Fos, which can play a role in cancer. Later, he set up his own research laboratory in 1998 and moved to Manchester in 2012.
Awards and Special Honours
Richard Marais has received many awards for his important work:
- In 2012, he and his team received the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Team Science Award for their discoveries in cancer drugs.
- He was given the Leopold Griffuel Prize in 2016.
- In 2017, he received the Outstanding Research Award from the Society for Melanoma Research (SMR).
He has also been recognized by several important scientific groups:
- He became a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2009.
- He was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 2008.
- In 2015, he became a member of the Academia Europaea (MAE).
- In 2018, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK.
His election to the Royal Society recognized his major contributions to understanding how cells send signals, especially in cancer. He was among the first to show how certain proteins control gene activity. He also made a big impact by studying the RAF kinase family of proteins. He discovered how these proteins are controlled differently and how they react to another protein called RAS, which is often changed (mutated) in many human cancers.
Marais was a key part of the team that found out that B-RAF is an oncogene, meaning it can cause cancer. This gene is responsible for most melanomas. He then helped prove that B-RAF could be a good target for new medicines. Working with another scientist, David Barford, he figured out the exact shape of B-RAF and how changes (mutations) in it can activate it in cancer. His work helps scientists design new drugs to treat melanoma.
