The Story
Dr Ling’s 1974 discovery of P-glycoprotein, which is encoded by the multidrug resistant gene (MDR) made him world famous. It is now known that P-glycoprotein is not only important clinically, as it confers multidrug resistance in many cancers, it also can protect the brain from poisonous substances. P-Glycoprotein is the first protein discovered in humans that belongs to a group of membrane transport proteins called the ATP Binding Cassette (ABC). ABC is very important in maintaining normal cell functions. Mutations in this group of proteins cause many well known diseases. One example is the cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR), which is responsible for cystic fibrosis. Ling has won many international awards and is the only person in the world to have won both the Kettering and Steiner awards, the highest honours in cancer research.
Source: personal communication
The Person
- Title
- Vice President of British Columbia Cancer Research Center, and Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
- Office
- University of British Columbia
- Status
- Working
- Awards
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- Gairdner award, 1990
- General Motors Cancer Research Foundation award, 1991
- Kettering Prize
- Joseph Steiner Cancer Research award, 1991
- American Association of Cancer Research scientific award, 1993
- Last Updated
- October 15, 2001
- Popularity
- 29913
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