Professor Richard Marais FMedSci FRS

Richard Marais is Professor of Molecular Biology. Currently, he is CEO and a Founder of MyT Bioscience Ltd, and he is CSO, a Founder and Director of Oncodrug Ltd, start-up biotech companies that are discovering new drugs for cancer and other diseases. Prior to these roles, Richard was Director of CRUK Manchester Institute at The University of Manchester. His research significantly advanced understanding of cell signalling in cancer. He demonstrated that ELK phosphorylation drives transcription downstream of the RAS-ERK pathway. He revealed how BRAF is activated by cancer mutations and elucidated how the RAS/BRAF pathway drives melanoma. To improve cancer outcomes, he translated his basic research discoveries to enrich innovative clinical trial design with signal seeking biomarkers to monitor therapy responses and optimise patient care. His research into the melanoma aetiology highlighted the importance of combining sunscreen with other sun avoidance strategies to reduce population risk for this disease. His achievements are recognised by the Anniversary Prize (Gesellschaft für Biochemie und Molekularbiologie, 2003), the Estella Medrano Memorial Award and the Outstanding Researcher Award (SMR, 2011 and 2017 respectively), the Team Science Award for Cancer Drug Discoveries (AACR, 2012), the Colin Thomson Memorial Medal (WCR, 2016), the Fritz Anders Medal (ESPCR, 2017), and the Léopold Griffuel Award in Translational and Clinical Research (ARC Foundation, 2017).