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Singapore woos British cancer expert

SINGAPORE, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- In a major coup for Singapore's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, world-renowned cancer researcher David Lane has agreed to head the institute.

The 52-year-old Lane is one of the scientists who discovered the cancer gene p53 in 1979, considered highly significant because mutations of this tumor suppressor are found in more than half of all human cancers.

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Named one of the world's top 10 biomedical scientists of the 1990s, Sir David was knighted for his contributions to cancer research in 2000. His wife Brigitte Lane, known for her work in genetic links to skin disorders, will also be working in Singapore, The Straits Times reported Monday. Both are from Scotland's University of Dundee.

Lane's stint in Singapore is a two-year sabbatical, during which he will maintain his links to Britain.

Other big names in cancer research that have been drawn to Singapore include Germany's Dr. Axel Ullrich and Professor Edison Liu, from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

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