The emergence of drug resistance

2013 Darwin Day lecture - The emergence of drug resistance: Molecular evolution and new medicines for cancer and tuberculosis

Chaired by Dr Richard Dawkins, the 2013 Darwin Day lecture will be delivered by Sir Tom Blundell, Professor Emeritus and Director of Research, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge.

Sir Tom will be speaking on the topic of: 'The emergence of drug resistance: Molecular evolution and new medicines for cancer and tuberculosis':

"Over the past fifty years our knowledge of the evolution of proteins in living cells has has been mapped in terms of molecular architecture and amino acid sequence. We have begun to learn that many accepted mutations are selectively neutral but others appear to be selectively advantageous to the organism by optimising stability, activity and interactions at the molecular and cellular levels. More recently second generation methods of gene sequencing are allowing us to follow the evolution and emergence of resistance as tumours escape the restraints of tissue function and as pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV evade the immune response of the host. To understand this is essential to the design of new medicines. I will discuss work in my laboratory funded by the Wellcome Trust on cancer and by the Gates Foundation on tuberculosis. The reality of evolution will take me to the Cambridge Science Park, to Astex the company I co-founded to work on cancer medicines, and to collaborations with India and Southern Africa on tuberculosis where many lives are impacted by HIV and TB."

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