Terence Rabbitts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Terry Rabbitts
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| Alma mater | University of East Anglia National Institute for Medical Research |
| Awards | Colworth Medal (1981) FRS (1987) [1] CIBA medal (1993) [2] FMedSci (1998) [3] Clotten Foundation Award (2015) [4] FACCR (2022) FRCP (2024) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Molecular Biology & Molecular Immunology |
| Institutions | The Institute of Cancer Research Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology |
Terence Howard Rabbitts is a British scientist who studies how our bodies fight diseases at a tiny, molecular level. He is a Professor of Molecular Immunology at the Institute of Cancer Research in London. His work has led to new ways of understanding and fighting cancer.
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Education and Early Life
Terry Rabbitts attended John Ruskin Grammar School. He then went to the University of East Anglia, where he earned a top-class degree in Biological Sciences.
After university, he earned his PhD, which is the highest university degree, at the National Institute for Medical Research. There, he became fascinated with immunology, the study of the body's immune system.
A Career in Science
Professor Rabbitts has had a long and successful career at some of the world's best research centers. In 1973, he joined a famous laboratory in Cambridge, the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. He later became a leader there, following in the footsteps of famous scientists like Frederick Sanger.
Over the years, he has worked at the University of Leeds and the University of Oxford. Since 2020, he has been at the Institute of Cancer Research, where he continues his important work.
Besides his research, he has helped guide several biotechnology companies. These companies use scientific discoveries to create new medicines and technologies. He also co-founded three of his own companies to turn his research into real-world solutions.
Major Scientific Discoveries
Professor Rabbitts's research has changed how scientists understand our genes and how they relate to diseases like cancer.
Understanding Our Immune System
Your body has an amazing defense system called the immune system. It uses special proteins called antibodies to find and fight off germs. Professor Rabbitts studied the genes that create these antibodies. He figured out how our bodies can make so many different types of antibodies from a small number of genes. This was a huge step in understanding how we stay healthy.
He also helped invent a new type of antibody in the lab called a chimaeric antibody. This technology is now used to make powerful medicines that can target specific diseases.
Finding the Causes of Cancer
Professor Rabbitts made key discoveries about what goes wrong inside cells to cause cancer. He studied something called chromosomal translocations. This is when parts of our chromosomes (which hold our DNA) break off and get stuck to the wrong chromosome.
This mix-up can create faulty genes that tell cells to grow out of control, leading to cancer. He discovered new families of these cancer-causing genes, which helped explain why some types of leukemia (a blood cancer) develop.
Creating New Tools to Fight Disease
Professor Rabbitts is known for inventing new methods for science.
- cDNA Cloning: He developed a way to copy genes, which is now a basic tool used by scientists everywhere.
- Knock-in Genes: He was the first to develop a technique to "knock-in" or insert a specific gene into a cell's DNA. This lets scientists study what that gene does.
- Intracellular Antibodies: He designed tiny antibody pieces that can work inside our cells. He calls these "macrodrugs." They can be used to switch off the faulty proteins that cause diseases like cancer.
His latest work focuses on finding ways to deliver these tiny antibody drugs into cells to fight cancer directly.
Awards and Honors
Professor Rabbitts has received many awards for his groundbreaking work.
- He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the highest honors for a scientist in the UK.
- He is a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).
- He has won prizes like the Colworth Medal and the Clotten Foundation Prize for his research on antibodies and cancer.
- In 2024, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians for his work in applying science to create new treatments for human diseases.
