Dr. Victor Ling
Fellow
Current Employer
BC Cancer Agency, The University of British Columbia
Election Year
1991
Academy
Academy of Science
Discipline
Molecular Biology and Genetics
Dr. Victor Ling is one of Canada's most successful molecular biologists, dedicated to cancer research. His major discovery is the common mechanism by which tumor cells are resistant to many anti-cancer drugs. The resistant cells have a surface glycoprotein that serves as pump, eliminating the toxic chemicals. Ling not only discovered the glycoprotein, he isolated molecular clones for it, and showed that it has a normal role in protecting cells against toxins that has been preserved throughout evolution.