Anna Philpott is an English

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual Cell (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

and academic. From August 2019 to September 2024, she served as Head of the School of Biological Sciences at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and from October 2024, she has been appointed as the Cambridge University Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations. She is also a professor of

Cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

and

Developmental Biology Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of Regeneration (biology), regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis, and the growth and di ...

and Principal Investigator at the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cells Institute. Philpott is a Fellow of

Clare College Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

. She is married to Ben Simons, also a Professor at the University of Cambridge, and has two children, Elena (born 2002) and Samuel (born 2004).

Education

Anna Philpott graduated from the University of Cambridge (Selwyn College) with an M.A in

Natural Sciences Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...

in 1988 and went on to do a PhD in the Zoology Department and Wellcome/CRC Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology (now the

Gurdon Institute The Gurdon Institute is a research facility at the University of Cambridge, specialising in developmental biology and cancer biology. History The Institute was founded in 1989 to provide a rich, collaborative environment for scientists working i ...

) at the University of Cambridge, with Professor

Ron Laskey Ronald Alfred Laskey FLSW (born 26 January 1945) is a British cell biologist and cancer researcher. Career and research Laskey was the Charles Darwin Professor of Embryology at the University of Cambridge. In 1991, he co-founded the Wellcome ...

, finishing in 1991.

Scientific career

Between 1992 and 1997, she undertook post-doctoral fellowships in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, USA at the

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

Cancer Centre with Professor Stephen Friend and in the Department of Cell Biology,

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

with Professor Marc Kirschner. She returned to the University of Cambridge in 1998 to start her own lab in the Department of Oncology. Philpott was appointed University

Lecturer Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...

in the Department of Oncology at the University of Cambridge in January 1998 after her return from the US. She was promoted to University Reader in 2008 and to Professor in Cancer and Developmental Biology in October 2015. Between August 2015 and July 2019, she also served as Deputy Head of the Department of Oncology. Philpott joined the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute as a Principal Investigator in March 2016, was Head of the School of the Biological Sciences between August 2019 and September 2024 and appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations in October 2024.

Research

Philpott is a

developmental biologist Developmental biology is the study of the process by which animals and plants grow and develop. Developmental biology also encompasses the biology of Regeneration (biology), regeneration, asexual reproduction, metamorphosis, and the growth and di ...

with an interest in how cells in developing

embryo An embryo ( ) is the initial stage of development for a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sp ...

s control the decision to divide or differentiate, as well as how this co-ordination is disrupted in cancers. Philpott's research looks at the balance between cell proliferation and differentiation during normal development, in adult tissue and in cancer. Her work also investigates the control of proneural factors, a class of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

s that regulate cell behaviours by turning

gene In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...

s on and off, and has studied their roles in the

nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the complex system, highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its behavior, actions and sense, sensory information by transmitting action potential, signals to and from different parts of its body. Th ...

, the

pancreas The pancreas (plural pancreases, or pancreata) is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the Digestion, digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a ...

and the gut. She has identified cyclin-dependent kinase-dependent

phosphorylation In biochemistry, phosphorylation is described as the "transfer of a phosphate group" from a donor to an acceptor. A common phosphorylating agent (phosphate donor) is ATP and a common family of acceptor are alcohols: : This equation can be writ ...

of proneural

transcription factor In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription (genetics), transcription of genetics, genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding t ...

s as a critical fulcrum that co-ordinates cell cycle exit and differentiation in multiple tissues. This control is subverted in cancers, in particular the paediatric tumour

neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands but can also develop in the head, neck, chest, abdomen, or Vertebral column, spine. Symptoms may include ...

, and offers a potential new approach to treating this disease. The ultimate goal of Philpott's research is to expand understanding of normal and dysregulated cell biology and use this knowledge to point the way to new therapeutic interventions for cancer and regenerative medicine. Philpott's research uses a range of model systems including

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...

s and '' Xenopus frog'' embryos'','' a versatile model used to investigate biological mechanisms and processes across a wide range of biological scales Philpott's research has been funded by the Medical Research Council, Biotechnology and Biosciences Research Council'',''

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...

'',''

Cancer Research UK Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and t ...

British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...

, the Rosetrees Trust and Neuroblastoma UK''.'' She is author or co-author of over 100 scientific articles.

Awards and honours

In 2018, Philpott received The Anne McLaren Award for Outstanding Women in Developmental Biology from the International Society of Differentiation. She has also been awarded the 2019 Pilkington Prize for Teaching, recognising her work in conceiving, designing and implementing an MRes/PhD Programme in Cancer Biology and Medicine. The award also recognised her efforts in championing diversity and mentoring younger female trainees. In 2020, Philpott was elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), recognising her contribution to research in the life sciences. EMBO Members actively participate in EMBO initiatives, including mentoring young scientists, or supporting activities such as the promotion of science policy. Philpott was elected Fellow of the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academy, National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its ...

in May 2022. The 2022 Fellows were recognised for contributions to biomedical and health science and generation of knowledge to improve health worldwide.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Philpott, Anna Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) 1967 births Living people

Education

Scientific career

Research

Awards and honours

Further reading

References