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.