Richard Roberts

Richard Roberts. He is a British biochemist and molecular biologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993, jointly with Phillip Sharp, for their independent discovery of split genes. This fundamental revelation, that genes in eukaryotes are not continuous strings but are interrupted by non-coding sequences called introns, revolutionized the understanding of gene expression and had profound implications for genetics and medicine. His career has spanned academia at institutions like Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and industry at New England Biolabs, where he has also been a prominent advocate for open access to scientific data.

Early life and education

Born in Derby, England, Roberts developed an early interest in chemistry and mathematics. He pursued his higher education at the University of Sheffield, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1965. Remaining at Sheffield for his doctoral studies under the supervision of David Ollis, he completed his PhD in Organic chemistry in 1968, with his thesis focusing on the synthesis of oligonucleotides. His postdoctoral work took him to Harvard University, where he worked in the laboratory of Jack Strominger studying the biosynthesis of the bacterial cell wall component peptidoglycan. This experience at Harvard University provided a critical transition into the burgeoning field of molecular biology.

Scientific career and research

In 1972, Roberts moved to the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York, joining the research team led by James Watson. At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, he shifted his focus to restriction enzymes, which are bacterial proteins that cut DNA at specific sequences. His work in mapping the DNA of adenovirus, a common cause of respiratory infections, set the stage for his Nobel-winning discovery. Using techniques like electron microscopy and gel electrophoresis, Roberts and his team made the pivotal observation that the messenger RNA (mRNA) transcribed from the adenovirus genome did not align colinearly with the DNA from which it was derived. This critical finding was made independently and nearly simultaneously by the team of Phillip Sharp at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Roberts and Sharp for their discovery of "split genes". They demonstrated that genes in organisms like adenovirus and, by extension, all eukaryotes including humans, are often discontinuous. The coding regions, called exons, are separated by intervening non-coding sequences, the introns. During gene expression, the entire gene is transcribed into a precursor RNA, and the process of RNA splicing then removes the introns and joins the exons to form the mature mRNA. This mechanism explained how one gene could produce multiple proteins through alternative splicing and transformed the understanding of genomic complexity and evolution.

Later work and legacy

After leaving Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 1992, Roberts became the Director of Research at New England Biolabs in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a company specializing in the production of restriction enzymes and other reagents for molecular biology. His later research interests expanded to bioinformatics and genomics, particularly the use of restriction enzymes to discover new genes. A vocal proponent of scientific sharing, Roberts has been a leading advocate for the open access movement, arguing against the restrictive practices of many commercial academic journals. He also serves on the board of the Public Library of Science (PLOS).

Awards and honors

Beyond the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Roberts has received numerous other accolades. These include election as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1995 and as a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to molecular biology. He has also been awarded honorary doctorates from several universities, including his alma mater, the University of Sheffield. In 2015, he received the Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science for his leadership in promoting open access to scientific literature.

Category:British biochemists Category:Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine Category:1943 births Category:Molecular biologists