Andrew Wilkie (geneticist)

Andrew Oliver Mungo Wilkie (born 14 September 1959)[3] is a British clinical geneticist who has been the Nuffield professor of Pathology at the University of Oxford since 2003.[4][5][6][7]

Andrew Wilkie
Born
Andrew Oliver Mungo Wilkie

(1959-09-14) 14 September 1959 (age 65)[3]
EducationArnold House School
Westminster School
Alma mater
AwardsEMBO Member (2006)[1]
Scientific career
FieldsMedical genetics
InstitutionsUniversity of Oxford
Notable studentsAnne Goriely (postdoc)[2]
Websitewww.rdm.ox.ac.uk/people/andrew-wilkie Edit this at Wikidata

Education

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Wilkie was educated at Arnold House School, Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1980 and a Master of Arts degree in 1984.[3] He moved to Merton College, Oxford, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree in 1983 and subsequently a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1992.[3]

Research

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Wilkie's research investigates genetic disorders affecting the skull and limbs, especially craniosynostosis[8] – premature fusion of the sutures of the skull. He identified the gene mutation responsible for Apert syndrome and the molecular pathways underlying this and other craniosynostosis conditions. These results have led to many clinical diagnostic tests.[4][9]

Wilkie's discovery that the mutation causing Apert syndrome was more common than expected led him to develop the 'selfish selection' theory, which states that there is a proliferation or survival advantage for some mutations in the testis. Over time, sperm-generating cells carrying such mutations become prevalent, explaining why some conditions are more common in children born to older fathers.[4]

Wilkie demonstrated that the Ras molecular pathway, the common factor in paternal age effect conditions, is also important in the development of nerves and tumours. Consequently, his work has implications for other diseases, including autism and cancer.[4] His research has been funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).[10] His former postdoctoral students include Anne Goriely.[2]

Awards and honours

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Wilkie was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 2002,[11] the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2006[1] and a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2013.[4]

Personal life

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Wilkie is the son of Douglas Robert Wilkie FRS.[3][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Andrew Wilkie, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK". Heidelberg: EMBO. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b Anne Goriely; Andrew O M Wilkie (10 February 2012). "Paternal age effect mutations and selfish spermatogonial selection: causes and consequences for human disease". American Journal of Human Genetics. 90 (2): 175–200. doi:10.1016/J.AJHG.2011.12.017. ISSN 0002-9297. PMC 3276674. PMID 22325359. Wikidata Q28259472.
  3. ^ a b c d e Anon (2016). "Wilkie, Prof. Andrew Oliver Mungo". Who's Who (online Oxford University Press ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U10000244. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ a b c d e "Professor Andrew Wilkie FMedSci FRS". London: Royal Society. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where:

    "All text published under the heading 'Biography' on Fellow profile pages is available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License." --"Royal Society Terms, conditions and policies". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

  5. ^ "Prof Andrew OM Wilkie FRS FMedSci FRCP". Oxford: University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016.
  6. ^ Andrew Wilkie publications indexed by Google Scholar  
  7. ^ Andrew Wilkie publications from Europe PubMed Central
  8. ^ Wilkie, Andrew O. M. (1997). "Craniosynostosis: genes and mechanisms". Human Molecular Genetics. 6 (10): 1647–1656. doi:10.1093/hmg/6.10.1647. PMID 9300656.
  9. ^ Andrew Wilkie's publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  10. ^ "UK government grants awarded to Andrew Wilkie". Swindon: Research Councils UK. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016.
  11. ^ "Professor Andrew Wilkie FRS FMedSci". London: Academy of Medical Sciences. Archived from the original on 11 April 2016.
  12. ^ Woledge, R. C. (2001). "Douglas Robert Wilkie. 2 October 1922 – 21 May 1998: Elected F.R.S. 1971". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 47: 481–495. doi:10.1098/rsbm.2001.0029. PMID 15124650. S2CID 73160587.