Frank Gannon Explained

Frank (Bernard Francis Xavier) Gannon (born 1947, Ireland) is a molecular biologist, and was the seventh Director of QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, Australia (2011 – 2020).[1] He has held high-profile appointments in scientific management and research in Ireland, England, the United States, France, Germany, and Australia.[2]

Career

Education

In 1970, Gannon completed a Bachelor of Science with Honours at the National University of Ireland Galway (then known as University College Galway).[3] He then moved to the University of Leicester, where he obtained his PhD in 1973.[4]

Early career

In 1973, Gannon joined the laboratory of Jack Gorski at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a post-doctoral researcher.[5] There, he worked on the oestrogen receptor and investigated the mechanisms that resulted in the receptor being localised in the nucleus. This work led to a significant paper being published in the Annual Review of Physiology.[6]

In 1975, Gannon moved to the University of Strasbourg, France to take up a post-doctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Professor Pierre Chambon. In 1977, while still in this role, Gannon was appointed Chargé de Recherche of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM).[5] During this time he was involved in a number of DNA cloning experiments which culminated in the isolation of the chicken ovalbumin gene.[7]

In 1981 Gannon returned to University College Galway (UCG) in Ireland and took up a position in the Department of Microbiology.

EMBO and EMBL

From 1994 to 2007, Gannon was the Executive Director (Secretary at the time) of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and Senior Scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), based in Germany.[8]

During this time, Gannon became the founding editor of the journal EMBO Reports and contributed a monthly editorial on a range of topics, including the impact of research on society. During his time at EMBO, Gannon also showed a commitment to female researchers by analysing fellowship application data to conduct an objective assessment of the potential causes for the lower success rate of female applicants for postdoctoral fellowships.[9]

During this period, Gannon also maintained an active research group that focussed on the manner in which the oestrogen receptor (ER) controlled gene expression. Outstanding from a series of high-impact studies was the demonstration of the cyclical nature of the binding of the ER to its DNA response element that resulted in the sequential recruitment of chromatin-modifying enzymes and ultimately the RNA polymerase, prior to that sequence of events being reversed.[10] Pursuing this research approach, Gannon's team subsequently showed that DNA methylation (previously thought to be an indelible mark) was also subject to dynamic and cyclical change.[11]

Scientific Foundation Ireland

In 2007, after 13 years at the helm of EMBO, Gannon accepted the position of Director General of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI). SFI had been established by the Irish government 10 years earlier to recruit and retain high-quality researchers based on their excellence, with the expectation that this would provide an extra offering and possibilities for multi-national and local companies that had activities particularly in the areas of pharmaceuticals, information technology and energy.[12]

QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute

Soon after Gannon moved to Dublin for the SFI position, Ireland faced a major economic setback that ultimately required a bailout from the EU and the International Monetary Fund.[13] Faced with the uncertainty of future funding for SFI, Gannon decided to move again, and in 2010, he accepted the position of Director and CEO of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) in Brisbane, Australia. Gannon started at QIMR in January 2011. The name of the institute was changed to QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (QIMR Berghofer), following Gannon's successful attraction of a major donation from Clive Berghofer – a philanthropist and property developer from Toowoomba.[14]

At QIMR Berghofer, Gannon restructured the Institute so that it had four programs (Cancer, Infectious Diseases, Mental Health, and Chronic Disorders) and four departments (Genetics and Computational Biology, Immunology, Cell and Molecular Biology, and Population Health.[15] Gannon made a specific effort to extend translation of the institute's research, through industry, to the clinic.[16] He also placed emphasis on developing better contacts with Asia, which resulted in increased research and commercial collaborations, particularly with China and India.[17] He also reactivated his research group focusing on enzymes involved in epigenetic modifications.[18] In 2019, Gannon announced he was retiring after nine years at the helm of the Institute. [19]

Other appointments

Awards and honours

Notes and References

  1. Web site: QIMR Berghofer’s Director and CEO prepares to bow out. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 15 December 2022.
  2. Web site: QIMR appoints new director and CEO" (media release). QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 8 February 2017. January 2010. 3 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190203102008/https://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/2010/08/qimr-appoints-new-director-and-ceo/. dead.
  3. Web site: Our Director: Professor Frank Gannon. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 8 February 2017.
  4. Web site: Staff@QIMR Berghofer: Professor Frank Gannon. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 8 February 2017. 14 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180414055225/http://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/people/frank-gannon/. dead.
  5. Web site: 2008-11-26 . Professor Frank Gannon . 2023-01-16 . The University of Queensland.
  6. Gorski. J.. Gannon. F.. Current models of steroid hormone action: A critique.. Annual Review of Physiology. 38. 425–450. 10.1146/annurev.ph.38.030176.002233. 176920. 1976.
  7. Gannon. F. O'Hare. K. Perrin. F. Lepennec. J.P.. Benoist. C. Cochet. M. Breathnach. R. Royal. A. Garapin. A. Cami. B. Chambon. P. Organization and sequences at the 5' end of a cloned complete ovalbumin gene.. Nature. 278. 5703. 428–434. 10.1038/278428a0. 450048. 1979. 1979Natur.278..428G. 4347021.
  8. Web site: Professor Frank Gannon. Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes. 8 February 2017. 14 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170214192500/http://aamri.org.au/about-us/board/professor-frank-gannon/. dead.
  9. Ledin. A. Bornmann. L. Gannon. F. Wallon. G. A persistent problem. Traditional gender roles hold back female scientists.. EMBO Reports. 2007. 8. 11. 982–987. 2247380. 17972895. 10.1038/sj.embor.7401109.
  10. Metivier. R. Penot. G. Hubner. M.R.. Reid. G. Brand. H. Kos. M. Gannon. F. Estrogen Receptor-α directs ordered, cyclical and combinatorial recruitment of cofactors on a natural target promoter.. Cell. 2003. 115. 6. 751–763. 10.1016/S0092-8674(03)00934-6. 14675539. 145525. free.
  11. Kangaspeska. S. Stride. B. Metivier. R. Polycarpou-Schwarz. M. Ibberson. D. Carmouche. RP. Benes. V. Gannon. F. Reid. G. Transient cyclical methylation of promoter DNA. Nature. 2008. 452. 7183. 112–115. 10.1038/nature06640. 18322535. 2008Natur.452..112K. 4422829.
  12. Web site: History. Science Foundation Ireland. 8 February 2017.
  13. News: Irish Republic 85bn euro bail-out agreed. BBC News. 28 November 2010.
  14. Web site: Clive Berghofer gives record $50.1 million to QIMR" (media release).. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 8 February 2017. January 2013. 1 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170501091348/http://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/2013/08/clive-berghofer-gives-record-50-1million-to-qimr/. dead.
  15. Web site: Our research. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 8 February 2017. 9 September 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170909153425/http://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/support-us/support-our-research/. dead.
  16. Web site: CSL to support QIMR Berghofer translational research. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 8 February 2017. 5 June 2016. 20 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170820042016/http://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/2016/06/csl-support-qimr-berghofer-translational-research/. dead.
  17. Web site: QIMR Berghofer signs MOU with global genomics giant (media release). QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 8 February 2017. 21 October 2016. 3 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170403172300/http://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/2016/10/qimr-berghofer-signs-mou-global-genomics-giant/. dead.
  18. Casciello. F. Windloch. K. Gannon. F. Lee. JS. Functional Role of G9a Histone Methyltransferase in Cancer.. Front Immunol. 2015. 6. 487. 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00487. 26441991. 4585248. free.
  19. Web site: QIMR Berghofer’s Director and CEO prepares to bow out. QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. 15 December 2022.
  20. Web site: Fellowship AAHMS – Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. www.aahms.org. en-AU. 2018-06-26.

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