Friends of IARC

Professor Sir David Lane made the landmark discovery of the p53 cancer gene in 1979. He is currently the Chief Scientist of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) in Singapore, where his main role is to advise and engage in scientific development across the Biomedical Research Council (BMRC) and the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) at the strategic level. He is also the Director of the p53 Laboratory. Sir David was the Chairman of BMRC from 2007 to 2009, involved in charting the strategic directions for all 14 BMRC research institutes, consortia, and centres in preparation for the next phase of Singapore's Biomedical Sciences Initiative. He was previously the Director of the Cancer Research UK Cell Transformation Research Group and Professor of Oncology at the University of Dundee in Scotland. He had also held the positions of Chief Scientist with Cancer Research UK and Scientific Director of the Ludwig Institute.

Sir David was knighted in 2000 for his contributions to cancer research and has received many awards, such as the Paul Ehrlich Prize in 1998, the Buchanan Medal in 2004, and the Royal Medal from the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2008. He is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and a founder member of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Sir David was awarded the IARC Medal of Honour in 2005.