Bryan Raymond George Williams Hon. FRSNZ, FAA (born 1949) is a

molecular biologist Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

from

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, with expertise in innate immunity and cancer biology. He is emeritus director and distinguished scientist at the

Hudson Institute of Medical Research Hudson Institute of Medical Research is a leading Australian medical research institute recognised internationally for discovery science and translational research. It is an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute, based in the ...

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

, and professor in the Department of Molecular and Translational Science at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

Background and early career

Williams graduated in 1973, from the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

, with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in microbiology. He was awarded his PhD from the department of microbiology, University of Otago in 1976. He then moved to the UK to undertake postdoctoral training at the

National Institute for Medical Research The National Institute for Medical Research (commonly abbreviated to NIMR), was a medical research institute based in Mill Hill, on the outskirts of north London, England. It was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC); In 2016, the NIMR b ...

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross. Mill Hill was in the historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it became part of Greater London. Its population counted 18, ...

, London, where he worked on the

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

interferon Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten the ...

action.

Research career

In 1980, Williams relocated to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, where he held positions at the Hospital for Sick Children and the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

. He continued to work on the mechanisms of interferon action and reported the sequence of the interferon-induced

protein kinase R Protein kinase RNA-activated also known as protein kinase R (PKR), interferon-induced, double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase, or eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2-alpha kinase 2 (EIF2AK2) is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by t ...

. He also worked on the characterisation of the

Wilms tumour Wilms' tumor or Wilms tumor, also known as nephroblastoma, is a cancer of the kidneys that typically occurs in children, rarely in adults.; and occurs most commonly as a renal tumor in child patients. It is named after Max Wilms, the German surge ...

gene. He was recruited to the Lerner Research Institute at the

Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, Ohio. Owned and operated by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, an Ohio nonprofit corporation established in 1921, it runs a 170-acre (69 ha) campus in Cleveland, ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, USA in 1991, where he led the Department of Cancer Biology until 2005. In 2003, the Williams research group published a highly cited paper on the innate immune stimulatory activities of

small interfering RNA Small interfering RNA (siRNA), sometimes known as short interfering RNA or silencing RNA, is a class of double-stranded RNA at first non-coding RNA molecules, typically 20-24 (normally 21) base pairs in length, similar to miRNA, and operating wi ...

s, which has had important implications for the therapeutic development of small interfering RNAs. In January 2006, Williams was appointed as the director of the

Monash Institute of Medical Research The Monash Institute of Medical Research (MIMR), was an Australian medical research institute located in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton, Victoria, consisting of 400 scientists and students belonging to the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Hea ...

in Melbourne, Australia, where he established the Centre for Cancer Research. Following the merger of the Monash Institute of Medical Research with Prince Henry's Institute in 2014, he was appointed director and CEO of the new organisation, which was renamed the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in 2015. His current research remains focused on cell signalling in innate immunity and cancer.

Appointments

From 2006 to 2013, Williams served as chair of the board of directors of MEI Pharma, a cancer therapy company. He was a member of the Consultative Council of the Victorian Cancer Agency (2009–2012) and served on the board of directors of Cancer Trials Australia (2009–2015). Williams currently serves as chair of the board of BioGrid Australia Ltd, and is a member of the board of directors of Pacific Edge Ltd, a cancer diagnostics company. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research (Newport, Rhode Island, USA) and is chair of the selection panel for the Premier's Award for Health and Medical Research, Victoria. He is currently an editor of ''

Journal of Virology The ''Journal of Virology'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers research concerning all aspects of virology. It was established in 1967 and is published by the American Society for Microbiology. Research papers are available ...

'' (2013–2018) and was chair of the publications committee of the International Cytokine and Interferon Society from 2010 to 2016.

Awards and honours

* 1990: Milstein Award, International Society for Interferon Research * 1997: Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand * 1998–1999: President of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research * 2005: Maurice Saltzman Award, The Mt Sinai Health Care Foundation * 2006: Dolph Adams Award, Journal of Leukocyte Biology * 2008: Boltzmann Award, International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research * 2013: Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology * 2013: Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Bryan Living people 1949 births New Zealand chief executives Monash University faculty University of Otago alumni New Zealand microbiologists