American Philosophical Society
Member History

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Residency
International[X]
Class
2. Biological Sciences[X]
Subdivision
201. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry[X]
1Name:  Professor Raymond A. Dwek
 Institution:  Institute of Biology; Glycobiology Institute, University of Oxford
 Year Elected:  2006
 Class:  2. Biological Sciences
 Subdivision:  201. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
 Residency:  International
 Living? :   Living
 Birth Date:  1941
   
 
Raymond Dwek was born on November 10, 1941 in Manchester, England and studied at Manchester University, where he obtained his B.Sc. degree in 1963 and his M.Sc. degree in 1964. Dr. Dwek received his D.Phil. degree from Lincoln College, Oxford. He was awarded a D.Sc from Oxford University in 1985. Raymond Dwek's early research work (1963-73) was concerned with novel applications of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to Physical, Inorganic and Biochemistry summarised in his book in 1973. He pioneered the application of magnetic resonance to antibody molecules. His subsequent work on the antibody molecule focused on the structural and functional roles of the conserved carbohydrates. This led to the concept that glycoproteins exist in many glycosylated variants, or glycoforms. In 1988, in a seminal review, he introduced the term 'Glycobiology' which entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1991. Early in his career, Dr. Dwek pioneered industrial-academic partnerships. In 1982, he secured a grant with Monsanto Company, the first major interaction Oxford University had with an industrial company in its 800 year history. As a result, Dr. Dwek and his colleagues were able to develop technology for studying sugar attached to proteins. This led to opportunities for drug discovery which eventually led to worldwide approval of a drug for Gaucher Disease and new approaches for anti-viral agents for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C viral infection and HIV. In 1988, he founded Oxford GlycoSciences, Oxford University's first ever spin-off company, using the technology emerging from his laboratory. In 1991 he founded the Glycobiology Institute at Oxford University of which he became Director. He also was Head of the Department of Biochemistry at Oxford University from 2000-2007 and Institute Professor at the Scripps Research Institute in 2008. He was elected in 2008 to a three year term as President of the Institute of Biology. Dr. Dwek has served on a number of institutional and corporate boards including United Therapeutics, USA. His scientific positions include Personal Special Advisor on Biotechnology to the President of Ben Gurion University, Israel where he has been involved in helping to build a National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev. In 2007 he was appointed Chair of Technology and Society in the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress. His honors and awards include the Seventh Wellcome Trust Award for Research in Biochemistry Related to Medicine in 1994, the First Scientific Leadership Award from the Hepatitis B Foundation in 1997, the Institute of Biology's Huxley Medal in 2007 and the Romanian Order of Merit with rank of commander in 2000 for his major contribution to Romanian-British co-operation in biochemistry and molecular biology. He has received honorary doctorates from The Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium and Ben Gurion University in Beer-Sheva, Israel, The Scripps Institute, La Jolla, USA and Cluj University, Romania. He is an Honorary Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and of the Royal Institute of Physicians, London. Dr. Dwek was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1998 for his "fundamental work in glycobiology, [and] for technical development and research allowing knowledge of oligosaccharides to be placed beside that of proteins and DNA." He is a Fellow of EMBO (The European Molecular Biology Organisation). The author of three books, over 500 scientific articles, and a large number of editorials for both scientific and general audiences, Dr. Dwek is a co-inventor on over 70 patents.
 
Election Year
2006[X]