2006 INDUCTEE Anthony Pawson, PhD Cells, Genetics & Genomics, Cancer

Born:

October 18, 1952

(Maidstone, England)

Died:

August 7, 2013

Education:

PhD, London University (1976)

Awards & Honours:

2013: Annual Award of the Canadian National Proteomics Network, thereafter named the CNPN-Tony Pawson Proteomics Award

2012: Clarivate Citation Laureate

See All Awards

Awards & Honours:

2013: Annual Award of the Canadian National Proteomics Network, thereafter named the CNPN-Tony Pawson Proteomics Award

2012: Clarivate Citation Laureate

2008: Kyoto Prize

2007: Howard Taylor Ricketts Award from University of Chicago

2007: Premier's Summit Award

2006: Order of the Companions of Honour

2005: Wolf Prize in Medicine

2005: The Royal Medal from The Royal Society of London

2004: Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize from Columbia University

2004: Poulsson Medal, the Norwegian Society of Pharmacology and Toxicology

2004: Associate of the National Academy of Sciences

2004 Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

2002: Prix Galien Canada

2000: Officer of the Order of Canada

2000: J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine

2000: Killam Prize for the Health Sciences

1998: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Distinguished Scientist Award

1998: Dr. H.P. Heineken Prize. Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

1998 The Royal Society of Canada Flavelle Medal for meritorious achievement in biological science

1998: Pezcoller-AACR International Award for Cancer Research

1995: Robert L. Noble Prize, National Cancer Institute of Canada

1994: Gairdner Foundation International Award

1994: Fellow of the Royal Society of London

1994: Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Transformed our understanding of cell communication

A cutting-edge leader in the field of cell biology

Dr. Pawson's ground-breaking studies have focused on the signals that are transmitted between cells in the human body and how these forms a pattern of communication. By understanding cellular communication, scientists can track how the pattern of communication can “breakdown” in conditions such as heart disease and immune system deficiencies.

His contributions also extend to the field of cancer research. He discovered that a certain protein molecule plays a critical role in transmitting cancer-inducing signals in malignant cells.

Key Facts

Revealed the fundamental principle of cellular organization

Facilitated the imaging of dynamic cellular processes

Served as Editor of Process in Biophysics and Molecular Biology and the Journal of Cellular Physiology

Authored more than 450 scientific papers and is among the world’s most frequently cited scientists in biomedical research

Professional timeline

Impact on lives today

Dr. Pawson’s legacy lays in his important conceptual advances in the understanding cell biology. His research revolutionized the understanding of signal transduction that gave scientists a solid grasp of the fundamentals of cell organization and communication. From these insights, countless studies can proceed for future innovation. Moreover, his contributions continue to have tangible impacts on the lives of patients whose treatments would not have been possible without Dr. Pawson’s work. These include Gleevec, Herceptin and Avastin, drugs all used in the treatment of cancer. Significantly, because these drugs are better targeted to address specific issues, they cause fewer negative side effects than conventional chemotherapy.

2006

April 23, 2006
Anthony Pawson inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Edmonton, Alberta
1994
Became head of the programme in Molecular Biology and Cancer at the Lunenfeld Research Institute
Cells, Genetics & Genomics, Cancer, Leadership in Organizational Development
In 2002, he became its Director of Research.
1986
Dr. Pawson developed the concept of signaling proteins and identified the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain as the prototypic protein-interaction module
Cells, Genetics & Genomics
This research on protein interactions transformed the thinking of how cells communicate.
1985
Moved to Toronto to join the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto
Cells, Genetics & Genomics
At the same time, he became Senior Scientist at the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. He was one of the first appointments in the hospital’s molecular and developmental biology division.
1981
After completing a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Department of Zoology, Dr. Pawson came to Canada
Cancer, Cells, Genetics & Genomics, Health and Medical Education & Training
He became Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbiology and the University of British Columbia. At UBC, Dr. Pawson expanded his work on proteins to include the study of proteins that had the potential to cause cancer. His lab produced many important papers during this time.
1976
After graduating from London University, Dr. Pawson travelled to the United States
Infectious Disease, Allergy & Immunity
He became a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California, Berkeley in the Molecular and Virus Laboratory. There, Dr. Pawson began work on the protein products of avian retroviruses.