The Medical Research Council's Protein Phosphorylation Unit at the University of Dundee will mark the 50th anniversary of
the discovery of protein phosphorylation by Professor Edmond Fischer with a symposium in his honour on March 10th.
The Nobel prize-winner - who celebrates his 85th birthday this year - will be the guest of honour and keynote speaker.
Internationally-renowned team leaders at the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, including Unit Director Sir Philip Cohen, will
also give a series of talks.
In 1955 Professor Fischer and Edwin Krebs showed how muscles liberate energy from sugar stored in the body by a complicated
cyclical set of reactions called phosphorylation. They also discovered that the process is reversible, so proteins can be
regulated in both directions. Subsequent research from a number of laboratories, including that of Sir Philip Cohen and his
colleagues in Dundee, revealed that protein phosphorylation constitutes a general principle, regulating almost all aspects of
cell life.
It also became clear that several major diseases, including cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis were a consequence of
imbalanced or abnormal phosphorylations. 30% of all research and development programmes in pharmaceutical and biotech
companies are now concentrated on the area of protein phosphorylation.
The MRC set up the Protein Phosphorylation Unit in Dundee in 1990 under the direction of Sir Philip Cohen. It is recognised
as the world's most important centre in this area and has pioneered collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry to help
develop drug development.
Sir Philip Cohen, Director of the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit said:
"Edmond Fischer's groundbreaking research initiated everything that has developed in this field, including what has become a
multi-billion pound industry. It is highly fitting that we should pay tribute to the 'grandfather' of protein
phosphorylation this week".
ENDS
For further information, or to arrange an interview, contact the MRC press office on 020 7637 6011
1 The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the UK tax-payer. Its business is medical
research aimed at improving human health; everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it supports and the
scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and the
academic world. MRC has funded work which has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in medicine
in the UK. About half of the MRC's expenditure of пїЅ450 million is invested in its 40 Institutes, Units and Centres. The
remaining half goes in the form of grant support and training awards to individuals and teams in universities and medical
schools. Web site at: mrc.ac.uk.
2 Edmond Fischer and Edwin Krebs were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology in 1992, in recognition of the
tremendous importance of their discovery for our understanding of cell regulation and the improvement of human health.
3 Philip Cohen studied reversible protein phosphorylation as a postdoctoral fellow with Edmond Fischer in Seattle over the
period 1969 to 1971.
4 On March 10th a dinner will be held to celebrate both the 50th anniversary of Edmond Fischer's discovery and his 85th
birthday. The dinner will be attended by all the 12 research team leaders working on reversible protein phosphorylation in
Dundee, two representatives from each of the six pharmaceutical companies with whom they collaborate and the CEO of local
biotechnology company Upstate, who sponsored Edmond Fischer's Lecture.
On March 8th Edmond Fischer attended the official opening of Upstate's new building in Dundee. The company, set up in 1999
to exploit technology and reagents developed in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit at Dundee, supplies the pharmaceutical
and biotechnology industry. The new building was named after him.
Lisa Knowles
Senior Press Officer
Medical Research Council
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