APRIL 29, 2020, New York-Ludwig Cancer Research extends its congratulations to Xin Lu, director of the Oxford Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, on her election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.
Lu is recognized by the Royal Society for her significant contributions to the cell biology of cancer, particularly her work on the regulation of p53, a tumor suppressor protein whose inactivation or mutation contributes to the progression of a wide variety of tumor types. Early in her career, Lu explored how p53 induces cell suicide, or apoptosis, in response to the expression of cancer-driving genes and events such as DNA damage. That work led to the discovery by Lu’s group of the ASPP family of proteins, which control p53 activity and thus play a critical role in cancer biology. Aside from opening new approaches to the treatment of cancer, Lu’s continuing exploration of those proteins has exposed their role in other disorders, including sudden cardiac death and brain abnormalities.
Founded in 1660, the Royal Society is a fellowship of eminent scientists, engineers and technologists in the UK and the Commonwealth whose mission is to “recognize, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.” It counts among its Fellows and Foreign Members some 80 Nobel Laureates, including Ludwig Oxford’s Sir Peter Ratcliffe, a co-recipient of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
“I am very honored to be named a Fellow of this historic Society,” said Lu. “I am grateful to Ludwig for its unwavering support for my research, and to the many mentors and collaborators who have helped me so much over the course of my career. Most important of all, my deep gratitude goes to the fantastic scientists in my laboratory, and colleagues I’ve had the privilege to work with throughout my career to date, without whom this recognition would not have been possible.”
Lu has directed Ludwig’s Oxford Branch since it was established in 2007. In addition to her Ludwig post, she is a Professor in the Nuffield Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford. Lu is also a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Biology, a Fellow by election of the Royal College of Pathologists and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organization.
