biology

Stephen Jackson (biologist)

Stephen Jackson (biologist) is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Stephen Jackson (biologist) rather than just read about it. In short: Sir Stephen Philip Jackson (born 17 July 1962) is a British biologist who is the Frederick James Quick Professor of Biology. He is a senior group leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and associate group leader at the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge.

Key takeaways

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Reference excerpt

Sir Stephen Philip Jackson (born 17 July 1962) is a British biologist who is the Frederick James Quick Professor of Biology. He is a senior group leader at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute and associate group leader at the Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge.

Education Jackson was educated at the University of Leeds, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry in 1983. He then carried out his PhD research working with Jean Beggs on yeast RNA splicing at Imperial College London and Edinburgh University, earning his PhD in 1987.

Research Following his PhD, Jackson carried out postdoctoral research with Robert Tjian at the University of California, Berkeley, where he developed an interest in the regulation of transcription. He returned to the UK in 1991 as a Junior Group Leader at the then Wellcome-CRC Institute, now the Gurdon Institute. Jackson's work has provided key insights into cellular processes that respond to DNA damage; processes fundamental to life and whose defects cause various diseases particularly cancer. Through his discovery that the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) enzyme is activated by DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), Jackson's laboratory identified and characterised various components of the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) system that repairs most DSBs in human cells. These studies also provided a paradigm for Jackson's later work on DNA-damage signalling by the ATM serine/threonine kinase and ATR (Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related), and his studies on how these and additional DNA repair factors interact with and influence one another, often in ways regulated by post-translational modifications. Jackson's work has also helped establish how DSB repair is controlled during the cell cycle, at telomeres in response to cell aging/senescence, and within chromatin. In 1997 Jackson founded KuDOS Pharmaceuticals with the aim of translating knowledge of DNA damage response pathways into new treatments for cancer. KuDOS developed small-molecule inhibitors of several DNA damage response enzymes. The most advanced of these is the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitor Olaparib/Lynparza™, which is now a registered medicine worldwide. KuDOS developed into a fully integrated drug-discovery and drug-development company and was acquired by AstraZeneca in 2005. In 2011 Jackson founded MISSION Therapeutics a firm to develop drugs to improve the management of life-threatening diseases, particularly cancer. In 2017, he founded Adrestia Therapeutics Ltd and currently serves as Chief Scientific Officer.

Paper retractions In 2018, Jackson's former postdoctoral scholar, Abderrahmane Kaidi, then working at the University of Bristol was found guilty of research fraud. Kaidi additionally confessed that he had made false data in two of his research papers published with Jackson. Bristol conveyed the matter to the University of Cambridge which took up an investigation. On 19 August 2018, Cambridge and Jackson informed Science that the paper published in 2010 was investigated for research misconduct. The journal issued an expression of concern over the article the next month. Cambridge made its final decision in April 2019 that the paper in Science and another in Nature (in 2013) contain fabricated data that were done by Kaidi. Jackson was not involved in the misdeed. The two journals simultaneously retracted the papers on 11 April 2019. In 2024 further evidence of scientific fraud was identified and another paper from Jackson's laboratory was retracted. This time the first author was Abdeladim Moumen, and the paper 'hnRNP K: An HDM2 Target and Transcriptional Coactivator of p53 in Response to DNA Damage' was retracted from Cell.

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Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Stephen Jackson (biologist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Stephen Jackson (biologist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Stephen Jackson (biologist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Stephen Jackson (biologist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Stephen Jackson (biologist)

In research: Stephen Jackson (biologist) appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Stephen Jackson (biologist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Stephen Jackson (biologist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1962 births, 20th-century British biologists, 21st-century British biologists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Stephen Jackson (biologist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Stephen Jackson (biologist) in 20 minutes

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Close the page and write down what Stephen Jackson (biologist) means in your own words.
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Frequently asked questions

What is Stephen Jackson (biologist) in simple terms?

Why does Stephen Jackson (biologist) matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Stephen Jackson (biologist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Stephen Jackson (biologist).