Roger L. Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roger L. Williams
FRS FMedSci
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Williams in 2017
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| Alma mater |
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| Awards | EMBO Member Morton Lectureship |
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| Institutions | University of Cambridge Laboratory of Molecular Biology Rutgers University Cornell University Boris Kidrič Institute, Belgrade |
| Thesis | The Structures of Two Ribonuclease B containing Crystals (1986) |
Roger Lee Williams is a British scientist who studies the tiny building blocks of life. He is a group leader at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology. His team looks at the shape and movement of protein complexes. These are like tiny machines that work with lipid cell membranes, which are the outer layers of cells. His research helps us understand how these important cell parts work and move.
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Education
Roger Williams went to Purdue University and Eastern Washington University. He earned his PhD in 1986 from the University of California, Riverside. For his PhD, he studied the structure of a special protein called ribonuclease.
What Roger Williams Studies
Roger Williams's team works to understand how certain enzymes, called phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K), turn on and off. These enzymes are super important for how cells talk to each other. They also help with things like how cells get nutrients and how they fix their DNA.
PI3K Enzymes and Health
Sometimes, there are changes, called mutations, in the pathways where PI3K enzymes work. These changes are often found in human tumours. Roger Williams's lab focuses on how these changes can lead to the growth of unhealthy cells. They also look for ways that medicines can specifically target these pathways to help treat diseases.
His group has found out how a specific part of PI3K, called p110 alpha, changes its shape when it becomes active on cell membranes. They've also shown that the mutations that cause problems make PI3K enzymes act like they are always "on." His team is still discovering how these PI3K enzymes are affected by the cell membrane's shape and how tightly packed its lipids are.
Who Funds His Research
Many different groups have supported Roger Williams's research. These include:
- Cancer Research UK
- Medical Research Council
- AstraZeneca
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Wellcome Trust
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- British Heart Foundation
Before working at the MRC-LMB, Roger Williams worked at Rutgers University and Cornell University in the USA. He also worked at the Boris Kidrič Institute in Belgrade, Serbia.
Awards and Honours
Roger Williams is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization. He is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci). He received the Morton Lectureship from the Biochemical Society. In 2017, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).
