Gillian Patricia Bates (born 19 May 1956) FMedSci FRS is a British biologist. She is distinguished for her research into the molecular basis of

Huntington's disease Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly Genetic disorder#Autosomal dominant, inherited. It typically presents as a triad of progressive psychiatric, cognitive, and ...

and in 1998 was awarded the

GlaxoSmithKline Prize The GlaxoSmithKline Prize and Lecture is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for original contributions to medical and veterinary sciences published within ten years from the date of the award". Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline, the medal is awar ...

as a co-discoverer of the cause of this disease. As of 2016, she is Professor of Neurogenetics at

UCL Institute of Neurology The UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology is an institute within the Faculty of Brain Sciences of University College London (UCL) and is located in London, United Kingdom. Together with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, a ...

and the co-director of UCL Huntington's Disease Centre.

Education

Bates was educated at Kenilworth Grammar School and the

University of Sheffield The University of Sheffield (informally Sheffield University or TUOS) is a public university, public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. Its history traces back to the foundation of Sheffield Medical School in 1828, Fir ...

where she graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

degree in 1979. She completed her postgraduate study at

Birkbeck College, London Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public research university located in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. Established in 1823 as the London Mechanics' ...

where she was awarded a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in 1984 followed by

St Mary's Hospital Medical School St Mary's Hospital Medical School was the youngest of the constituent medical schools of Imperial College School of Medicine, founded in 1854 as part of the new hospital in Paddington. During its existence in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the most ...

where she was awarded a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1987 for

genetic mapping Genetic linkage is the tendency of DNA sequences that are close together on a chromosome to be inherited together during the meiosis phase of sexual reproduction. Two genetic markers that are physically near to each other are unlikely to be sepa ...

of the

cystic fibrosis Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder inherited in an autosomal recessive manner that impairs the normal clearance of Sputum, mucus from the lungs, which facilitates the colonization and infection of the lungs by bacteria, notably ''Staphy ...

gene, working in the lab of Robert Williamson.

Research

Bates's research has focused on

. She was one of the group who first cloned the Huntington's disease gene. She also created the first mouse model of the disease, the R6/2 mouse, an important step in understanding the pathogenesis of Huntington's.Royal Society: New Fellows - 2007: Amos - Bruce
accessed 6 January 2009) Prior to joining UCL in 2016, Bates was the head of the

Neurogenetics Neurogenetics studies the role of genetics in the development and function of the nervous system. It considers neural characteristics as phenotypes (i.e. manifestations, measurable or not, of the genetic make-up of an individual), and is mainly ba ...

Research Group at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

Awards and honours

Bates has been elected a 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 ...

(1999) and a member of the

European Molecular Biology Organisation The European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) is a professional, non-profit organization of more than 2,100 life scientists. Its goal is to promote research in life science and enable international exchange between scientists. It co-funds cour ...

(2002).Academy of Medical Sciences: Fellows: Professor Gillian Bates
(accessed 6 January 2009) She was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 2007 and to its Council in 2011. In 1998, she was awarded the Royal Society Glaxo Wellcome Award jointly with Stephen Davies, for the "discovery of the cause of Huntington's Disease". In August 2024, Bates was recipient of the Royal Society's prestigious Ferrier Medal, which recognised her work in understanding the molecular basis of

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Gillian 1956 births 20th-century British biologists 21st-century British biologists 20th-century British women scientists 21st-century British women scientists Academics of University College London British women biologists Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal Society Female fellows of the Royal Society Huntington's disease Living people Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization Alumni of the University of Sheffield