Andrew J.G. Simpson, PhD
Dr.
Andrew Simpson undertook his PhD at the National Institute for Medical Research
in London. Dr. Simpson then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the National
Institutes of Health in Bethesda before returning to the NIMR in 1983, and
receiving tenure in 1986. In 1989, Dr. Simpson moved to Brazil and became
a Visiting Scientist at the Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou in Belo
Horizonte before joining the São Paulo Branch of the LICR in 1995.
In 2002, Dr. Simpson transferred to the New York Office to take up the positions
of Director of the James R. Kerr Program and Special Assistant to the LICR
Director.
Until he joined LICR, Dr. Simpson’s primary research interest was the molecular biology and immunology of the schistosome, a human parasite that infects some 200-million people in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Among his contributions to the field were the initial description of the parasite genome, the cloning of the first genes, and then the initiation of the schistosome genome project. In addition, he defined numerous key surface antigens, developed an experimental vaccine and also defined many basic parameters of the immune basis of human resistance to schistosome infection in the field.
Subsequent to joining LICR, Dr. Simpson’s primary work has been in the development of both bacterial and human genomics projects. He led the first complete genome sequencing of a bacterial phytopathogen, conducted by a large extended network in São Paulo, and subsequently then led a National Program to sequence the genome of a free-living bacteria found in the Amazon. In addition, Dr. Simpson led the ORESTES project that deposited around one million transcript sequences derived from human tumors and normal tissues into public databases, which was crucial for the initial identification of likely genes in the human genome.
Dr. Simpson is currently combining his expertise in genomics, immunology and programmatic science to bring together structured and integrated projects that are aimed at contributing to the fulfillment of LICR’s global mission.