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 leading 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 helps us understand how our immune system works and how to fight diseases like cancer.
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Early Life and Education
Terry Rabbitts went to John Ruskin Grammar School. He then studied Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia. He earned a top degree there. Later, he completed his PhD at the National Institute for Medical Research in London.
Career and Important Discoveries
Terry Rabbitts started his research career at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) in Cambridge in 1973. He became a group leader there in 1978. He even took over from the famous scientist Fred Sanger as a joint head of a division.
He later worked at the Leeds Institute of Molecular Medicine. Then he moved to the University of Oxford. There, he became a Professor of Molecular Immunology. Since 2020, he has been a Professor at the Institute of Cancer Research in London.
Understanding Genes and Cancer
Terry Rabbitts's research has focused on genes. He studies how our bodies make different types of antibodies. Antibodies are like tiny soldiers that fight off germs. He also studies how genes can get mixed up, leading to diseases like cancer.
He helped create a method called cDNA cloning. This method is now used everywhere in biology and medicine. It helps scientists study genes more easily.
He also helped discover how human antibody genes are organized. This knowledge is important for making new medicines. He worked on creating special "chimaeric antibodies." These are antibodies that combine parts from different sources.
Fighting Cancer with Science
Terry Rabbitts found new genes that cause a type of blood cancer called T cell leukaemia. He also found the first "fusion gene" in a solid tumor. A fusion gene is when two genes accidentally join together.
He developed a method called "knock-in gene." This is a way to add new genes into cells. It is now widely used in gene editing.
He also designed tiny antibody fragments called iDAbs. These are like mini-antibodies that can go inside cells. He calls them "macrodrugs." He developed ways to use these iDAbs to find new medicines. These methods have helped find ways to treat difficult proteins like RAS and LMO2, which are involved in cancer.
Since 2020, his lab has been working on delivering these iDAbs into cells as actual medicines. They are especially focused on targeting the abnormal proteins created by those "fusion genes" in cancer.
Awards and Recognition
Terry Rabbitts has received many important awards for his work. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists. He is also a Founder Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
He has won the Colworth Medal, the CIBA prize, and the Clotten Foundation Prize. These awards recognize his important discoveries about antibody genes and how gene changes cause cancer. In 2024, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. This was for his work applying molecular biology to human diseases and creating new treatments.
