Victor Ling, (; born 1943) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

researcher in the field of

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. Ling's research focuses on drug resistance in cancer. He is best known for his discovery of

P-glycoprotein P-glycoprotein 1 (permeability glycoprotein, abbreviated as P-gp or Pgp) also known as multidrug resistance protein 1 (MDR1) or ATP-binding cassette sub-family B member 1 (ABCB1) or cluster of differentiation 243 (CD243) is an important protein ...

, one of the proteins responsible for multidrug resistance.

Early life

Ling was born in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1943, and is of Teochew ancestry. He moved to Hong Kong with his family in 1949 and lived there until 1952, when they emigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. He graduated from North Toronto Collegiate in 1962. He received his bachelor's degree in 1966 from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

and his PhD in 1969 from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

Career

Ling undertook post-doctoral training with Nobel laureate

Fred Sanger Frederick Sanger (; 13 August 1918 – 19 November 2013) was a British biochemist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry twice. He won the 1958 Chemistry Prize for determining the amino acid sequence of insulin and numerous other prot ...

Cambridge University 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 ...

before returning to Toronto. He is currently Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the

and former vice-president, Discovery at the BC Cancer Agency in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, as well as the President and Scientific Director of the Terry Fox Research Institute.

Honours

*1990, awarded the Gairdner Award from the Gairdner Foundation for outstanding contributions to medical science *1991, awarded the Charles F. Kettering Prize *1991, awarded the Steiner Award, the highest honour in cancer research *1994, awarded the Robert L. Noble Prize by the National Cancer Institute of Canada *2000, appointed to the Order of British Columbia *2006, awarded an honorary doctorate from

Trinity Western University Trinity Western University (TWU) is a Private university, private Christian liberal arts university with campuses in both Langley, British Columbia (district municipality), Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Richmond, British Columbia. The ...

*2008, made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

References

External links

Webpage at the BC Cancer Research CentreWebpage at the University of British Columbia Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
1943 births Canadian cancer researchers Chinese emigrants to Canada Living people Members of the Order of British Columbia Naturalized citizens of Canada Officers of the Order of Canada Scientists from Shanghai University of British Columbia alumni Academic staff of the University of British Columbia University of Toronto alumni {{Canada-med-bio-stub