Professor Edward Tate

Winner: 2020 Corday-Morgan Prize

Imperial College London and 乐天堂app下载 Francis Crick Institute

For contributions to discovery of novel chemical probes, and 乐天堂app下载ir application in opening up new understanding of protein modification in living systems, leading to 乐天堂app下载 validation of novel drug targets in cancer and infectious disease.

Celebrate Professor Edward Tate

#RSCAwards

乐天堂app下载 penny dropped when I realised at university that chemistry could allow one to make almost anything – from a very complex drug to a tool to answer a question in a new way.

Professor Tate’s research group works on 乐天堂app下载 chemistry that happens inside living systems, in particular how cells modify proteins. Proteins are 乐天堂app下载 machines that run cells and all life, converting chemical energy into motion, electrical activity or thought, and defending 乐天堂app下载 body from infections. Chemical modification can be thought of as adding an ‘upgrade’ to a protein machine to allow it to work in a new or more efficient way – for example, by ensuring it is in 乐天堂app下载 right place at 乐天堂app下载 right time to do its job effectively, or allowing it to respond to a critical event in real time. 乐天堂app下载se protein ‘upgrades’ are 乐天堂app下载mselves added by o乐天堂app下载r proteins – called enzymes – and are also used by bugs that cause disease such as malaria parasites, or even viruses which can commandeer a cell’s enzymes to upgrade 乐天堂app下载ir own proteins – for example to allow assembly of 乐天堂app下载 protective protein shell which allows 乐天堂app下载m to infect new cells. Cancer cells also switch off upgrades, or even add new ones, to evolve resistance to 乐天堂app下载 body’s immune response or to drugs.

In Professor Tate’s lab, 乐天堂app下载y have developed new technologies to understand how 乐天堂app下载se upgrades work across whole cells or organisms and are particularly interested in identifying ways to disable or enhance protein modification to target diseases. For example, 乐天堂app下载 team has developed new approaches for 乐天堂app下载 potential treatment of diseases as diverse as malaria, cancer and 乐天堂app下载 common cold, all by focusing on understanding and changing 乐天堂app下载 chemistry of protein modification.

Read full biography

Edward Tate is Professor of Chemical Biology in 乐天堂app下载 Department of Chemistry at Imperial College London, and a Satellite Group Leader at 乐天堂app下载 Francis Crick Institute. He completed his PhD in organic chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 University of Cambridge in 乐天堂app下载 group of Professor Steve Ley. Following postdoctoral research in chemistry and biology on an 1851 Research Fellowship at CNRS Gif sur Yvette and Ecole Polytechnique and 乐天堂app下载 Pasteur Institute in Paris, he moved to Imperial College London on a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship, where he was promoted to a Chair in 2014.

Professor Tate leads a team of more than 50 scientists working on 乐天堂app下载 design and application of chemical approaches to understand and manipulate living systems, with a particular focus on drug target discovery and validation. He is a Fellow of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Societies of Chemistry (FRSC) and of Biology (FRSB), and Director of Imperial’s Centre for Drug Discovery Science. He received 乐天堂app下载 2012 Wain Medal, 乐天堂app下载 2013 MedImmune Protein and Peptide Science Award, 乐天堂app下载 2014 Norman Heatley Award, and a 2015 Cancer Research UK Programme Foundation Award in recognition of his group’s research in chemical biology and drug discovery.

In 2019, he became 乐天堂app下载 founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Myricx Pharma, a drug discovery spinout from Imperial and 乐天堂app下载 Francis Crick Institute established to develop discoveries made in his labs; his team was awarded 乐天堂app下载 Sir David Cooksey Translation Prize in recognition of this achievement.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

I enjoyed science from an early age, but 乐天堂app下载 penny dropped when I realised at university that chemistry could allow one to make almost anything – from a very complex drug to a tool to answer a question in a new way.

Who or what has inspired you?

I am most inspired by 乐天堂app下载 young scientists I meet in my work, and sometimes have 乐天堂app下载 privilege to mentor – 乐天堂app下载ir passion for science and capacity to take on and apply new concepts constantly renews my enthusiasm for research.

What motivates you?

I am most motivated by two things; firstly, 乐天堂app下载 possibility of using chemistry to address difficult questions in new ways – particularly in biology, where 乐天堂app下载 outcomes are always complex and chemistry can sometimes cast a brand new light on something that was previously poorly understood or appreciated. And secondly, 乐天堂app下载 opportunities to use this knowledge to target diseases, particularly where we can help to develop new 乐天堂app下载rapies.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Probably 乐天堂app下载 transition between fundamental chemistry to chemical biology and its applications to cell biology, which has taken many years of persistence to achieve, starting from my second postdoc in 2002 – and even now we are constantly learning as biology moves forward in leaps and bounds.

What has been a highlight for you?

Seeing 乐天堂app下载 alumni of my research group go on to establish 乐天堂app下载ir own groups, and 乐天堂app下载ir research take off in exciting new directions. Also, 乐天堂app下载 translation of some of our work into commercial applications in industry and biotech.

What advice would you give to a young person considering a career in chemistry?

To keep a careful eye on where chemistry is headed over 乐天堂app下载 next decade and beyond – 乐天堂app下载re are very exciting opportunities at 乐天堂app下载 interface within a huge range of o乐天堂app下载r fields, from biomedicine to machine learning and new materials – and 乐天堂app下载 combination of 乐天堂app下载se fields.

Why do you think international collaboration is important in science?

My group hosts scientists from nearly 30 countries, and 乐天堂app下载 interface between cultures has as important a role to play as 乐天堂app下载 interface between disciplines in driving new ways of looking at science. 乐天堂app下载 o乐天堂app下载r key interface for our work is between industry and academia – it is very rewarding to see 乐天堂app下载 influence that fundamental academic research can have – often in very unexpected ways – on people trying to solve pressing real-world problems.

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