Biography

Studied at Universities of Aberdeen and Sussex and completed a number of fellowships, including Beit, EMBO and MRC before joining King's College London in 1985. Was appointed the founding head of Department of Molecular Medicine in 1993 and awarded a Personal Chair in Molecular Medicine in1996. Elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists in 1997 and later that year to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture & Commerce (FRSA) for his contributions to the development and public understanding of cancer gene therapy, and more recently to the Society of Biology (FSB). Having been a co-founder of the European Society for Cancer Gene Therapy, served as Secretary General of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy of Cancer (ISCGT) 2001-2006, and its President in 2007-2008. Published over 200 scientific papers and two edited books on the functional analysis of the genome and cancer gene therapy. Also head of a GMP facility since 2001 at King’s College Hospital London, producing Investigational Medicinal Products (IMP) for cell, gene therapy and regenerative medicine clinical studies. European Editor for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Current research focused on the functional analysis of the genome and immune therapy of cancer. The latter includes immune gene therapy of cancer and vaccination based induction of cellular immunity against chronically experienced antigens that are associated with malignant disease and persistent infections.