MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit PI, Vicky Cowling, will deliver a special Lister Prize Lecture today, Monday 4th March, to all researchers in the College of Life Sciences. In attendance will be the Chairman, Sir Alex Markham and the Director, Dr Trevor Hince of the Lister Institute.



Vicky was awarded one of the three highly coveted Lister Research Prizes for 2011. These prizes give young scientists the opportunity to develop their potential as research scientists by giving them £200,000 in flexible funding over a five-year period. The Lister Institute's approach to scientific support continues to be unique in that it funds tenured and non-tenured researchers, clinicians and non-clinicians and has no priority diseases or restrictions on the research area supported. The Institute also grants its Research Prize holders the freedom to develop their research careers individually while fostering a sense of identity and community.



Vicky's group investigates the synthesis and regulation of the mRNA methyl cap, an essential structure in gene expression and how this process is regulated by phosphorylation and ubiquitylation. Vicky will present exciting recent data that her group have obtained and explain how this has led to the uncovering of potential novel anti-cancer drug targets.



Before her lecture Vicky said, "I am very grateful to receive this Lister Fellowship. The funds are enabling my group to carry out some vital experiments. Its also an award for the whole lab since it was the lab members' hard work which resulted in us receiving it."