A Tribute to Dr. Paul Farrell from Dr. George Klein
Georg Klein M.D., Ph.D.
Paul Farrell is among the top five molecular biologists in the field of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Working in Sanger’s group in the beginning of his career, Farrell was one of the main persons responsible for the sequencing of the EBV-genome, a monumental achievement at the time. The sequence turned out to be a veritable gold mine for EBV researchers. It was fully exploited by Farrell and his group from the very beginning. Paul was responsible for much of the DNA-structural and functional information on this large herpesvirus, considered by many as the first identified human tumor virus.
In his capacity as Director of the Ludwig Branch at St. Mary´s Hospital, Paul has never lost the cancer problem from sight. While giving full support to other scientific workers of the Branch, who worked on oncogenes (myc, myb) or on tumor suppressor genes, Paul has focused his research efforts during recent years on the transforming/immortalizing effect of EBV on the human B-lymphocyte. While the picture is still complex, as one might expect of such a large and sophisticated virus, Farrell’s work has identified important interactions between the viral transforming and cellular signaling proteins. Unlike the lytic herpesviruses, EBV does not pervert the cell into a virus protein synthesizing machine. Rather, it exploits normal physiological pathways of the B-lymphocytes to drive the unlimited proliferation of the cell. Paul and his group have identified several such pathways.
In addition to his own original research, Paul Farrell has greatly stimulated the field with his thoughtful interpretations, hypotheses and reviews that have put this fascinating virus into the context of cell proliferation, apoptosis prevention, and tumorigenesis.
Georg Klein M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Molecular and Tumor Biology Center
Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
LICR Scientific Committee Member