Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2005

A s a b o y g r o w i n g u p i n Bath, i n the w e s t o f En g l a n d , R i c h a r d J. Roberts h a d a passion f o r p u z z l e s a n d at f i r s t w a n t e d t o be a d e t e c t i v e . W h e n his i n d u l g e n t f a t h er b u i l t h i m a c h em i s t r y cabinet, t h i s t u r n e d i n to a p a s s i o n f o r e x p e r i m e n t s . B o r e d b y r o t e l e a r n i n g , he e x c e l l e d w h e n h is t e a c h e r s c a u g h t h i s i m a g i n a t i o n b y g i v i n g h i m p r o b l ems to solve. One person to d o this w as h i s p r o f e s s o r o f o r g a n ic c h e m i s t r y at t he U n i v e r s i t y o f S h e f f i e l d, w h o b e c a me h is Ph . D . supervisor. R i c h a r d J. Roberts w o r k e d o n s o m e i n t e r e s t i ng c o m p o u n d s i n t h e h e a r t w o o d f r om a B r a z i l i a n tree a n d q u i c k ly h a d e n o u g h ma t e r i al for his thesis. This gave h i m t w o y e a rs i n w h i c h to f o l l o w his o t h e r passion, reading. It w a s at this t i me he came across a b o o k t h a t c h a n g e d h is l i f e 一 he became h o o k e d o n mo l e c u l a r b i o l o g y. F o r t u n a t e l y D r . Roberts w a s able to d o p o s t - d o c t o r a l studies w i t h Jack S t r om i n g e r, w h o h a d j u s t b e e n a p p o i n t ed p r o f e s s o r o f b i o c h e m i s t r y a n d m o l e c u l a r b i o l o g y at H a r v a r d . H e r e he w a s g i v e n t h e j o b o f s e q u e n c i ng s om e R N A , a n d after a t r i p to C a m b r i d g e i n E n g l a n d he b e g a n u s i n g a b s o l u t e ly c u t t i n g - e d g e t e c h n i q u es t h a t w e r e n e w t o t h e US. H i s s e q u e n c i n g w a s successful, w h i c h l e d to t w o papers i n Nature 一 n ot a b ad research performance for a postdoctoral f e l l o w h a r d l y 30 years of age! Soon Dr. Roberts f o u n d h i ms e l f recruited b y James Wa t s o n , one of th e discoverers o f D N A . A t Wa t s o n 's C o l d S p r i n g H a r b o r L a b o r a t o ry i n N e w Y o r k , Dr. Roberts b e g a n to search f o r r e s t r i c t i o n e n z yme s, the essentia l t o o ls f o r g e n e t i c e n g i n e e r i n g . O n e o f h i s g r e a t e s t a c h i e v e m e n t s w a s h is c o l l e c t i o n o f n e w e n z yme s for c u t t i n g D N A . Three-quarters of t h e w o r l d ' s f i r st r e s t r i c t i on e n z y mes w e r e discovered or characterized i n his laboratory. I n d e v e l o p i n g these tools , D r. Ro b e r ts n o t o n l y a d v a n c ed his o w n research b u t enabled the research of m a n y others . I n 1974, he began w o r k i n g o n adenovirus, a g e r m c a u s i n g c o m m o n c o ld i n h u m a n s . Because the v i r u s infects the cells o f h i g h er o r g a n i sms such as ourselves, its g e n ome has m a n y p r o p e r t i e s r e s emb l i n g o u r o w n cells, hence its i mp o r t a n ce i n D N A research. It w a s i n w o r k i n g o n this v i r u s that Dr. Roberts a nd his t e am s a w t h a t the me s s e n g e r R N A d i d n ot behave as predicted. A s w e m i g h t expect, the p u z z l e i n t r i g u ed Dr. Robert s a n d d r e w h i m i n to a h i s t o r ic piec e of detective w o r k . H e b e g a n to suspec t t h a t d i f f e r e nt segments of the gene in question were located separately o n the D N A helix . H e t h e n f o u n d t h e r i g h t e x p e r i me n t to d emo n s t r a t e t h a t this w a s so a nd w a s d e l i g h t e d w h e n at las t he c o u ld see s p l i t g e n e s i n t h e f i e l d o f h i s e l e c t r on microscope. The No b e l Prize w i n n i n g research o n gene s p l i c i n g h ad b e g u n to tak e shape. I t w a s i n s e q u e n c i ng a d e n o v i r us t h at D r . R o b e r t s b e g a n t o p i o n e e r t h e use o f c omp u t e r s as anothe r essential t o ol i n D N A research. H e r e t o o he p a v e d t h e w a y f o r c o u n t l e s s o t h e r r e s e a r c h e r s . A t t he s ame time, he s aw the need for a c o m p a ny framework i n w h i c h to m a n u f a c t u re r e s t r i c t i on e n z y m e s a n d t o d e v e l o p t h e c o m p u t i n g p o w e r n e e d e d f o r g e n e s e q u e n c i n g a n d p r e d i c t i n g the p r o p e r t i e s of n e w e n z yme s. H e f o u n d t h e r i g h t e n v i r o n m e nt f o r t h i s w o r k at N e w E n g l a n d B i o l a b s, w h e r e he m o v e d i n 1992 a n d w h e r e he is n o w c h i e f scientific officer. H i s w o r k n o w focuses o n g e n e r a t i n g a n d c a t e g o r i z i ng n e w restriction a n d m o d i f i c a t i o n e n z y me s , a n d s t u d y i n g h o w t h ey w o r k . H e has one of the w o r l d ' s best databases. D r . Ro b e r ts is at the t o p of the s c i e n t i f ic s u p p l y c h a i n , p r o v i d i n g t he essential tools f o r some o f the basic me d i c al a n d g e n e t ic research g o i n g o n t o d a y 一 i n b i o t e c h n o l o g y a n d me d i c a l sciences. W o r k i n g f o r t he b e n e f i t o f o t h e r s has b e e n a c o n s i s t e nt t h e me o f D r . R o b e r t s' career. H e has bee n generous i n s h a r i ng his The 62nd Congregation 3 7