Philip Branton
Fellow
Current Employer
McGill University
Election Year
2002
Academy
Académie des sciences
Discipline
Molecular Biology and Genetics
Department
Department of Biochemistry
Keywords
Cancer, tumour viruses, apoptosis, tumour suppressors, cell proliferation
Dr. Branton is world renowned for his demonstration of protein kinases and proteins ultimately identified as family members of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor family associated with viral oncogene products. Dr. Branton's unique contribution was to prove that the mechanism of oncogenic transformation was dependent on the association of these proteins with the viral oncogene products well before the characterization of these associated proteins was known. His most recent work on apoptosis has led to new mechanisms and novel therapies for cancer.