Tom Brown (chemist)

Brown was born in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire, and attended Broadway Grammar School there. As an undergraduate student, he attended University of Bradford to study chemistry where he obtained his bachelor's degree with first class honours, and was awarded the Griffin and George Prize for being the most outstanding graduate. In 1979, he earned his PhD from the same university, under the supervision of Prof Gordon Shaw. He then carried out his post-doctoral research at the University of Nottingham (with Leslie Crombie and Gerry Pattenden), University of Oxford (with John Jones), and at the University of Cambridge (with Olga Kennard OBE FRS).

After these post-doctoral stints, he was appointed as a Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh where he was subsequently promoted to the rank of Reader and then to Professor. In 1995, he moved to the University of Southampton where he worked as a Professor of Chemical Biology.{{cite web|title=Tom Brown : Chemistry|url=http://www.southampton.ac.uk/chemistry/research/staff/tb2.page|publisher=University of Southampton|accessdate=4 March 2016}} In 2013, Brown again moved, to take up position of the Professor of Nucleic acid chemistry at the University of Oxford where he now holds a joint position at the Department of Chemistry and Department of Oncology. In 2014, he was elected as the President of the Chemical Biology Interface Division of the Royal Society of Chemistry for a term of three years.

In early part of his academic career, Brown studied base-pair mismatch and DNA repair.{{cite journal|title=High-resolution structure of a DNA helix containing mismatched base pairs|journal=Nature|date=13 June 1985|volume=315|issue=6020|pages=694–606|doi=10.1038/315604a0|bibcode=1985Natur.315..604B | last1 = Brown | first1 = Tom | last2 = Kennard | first2 = Olga | last3 = Kneale | first3 = Geoff | last4 = Rabinovich | first4 = Dov|pmid=4010774|s2cid=4307701}}{{cite journal|title=Structure of an adenine˙cytosine base pair in DNA and its implications for mismatch repair|journal=Nature|date=10 April 1986|issue=6062|pages=552–555|doi=10.1038/320552a0|pmid=3960137|bibcode=1986Natur.320..552H|volume=320 | last1 = Hunter | first1 = William N.|s2cid=4319887}} Later he worked on the mutagenic effect of chemically modified DNA bases. In collaboration with Laurence Pearl, he elucidated the structural basis of excision repair by Uracil-DNA glycosylase. His group is also well known for rapid mutation analysis and for the application of Molecular genetics in forensics{{cite journal|title=HyBeacon probes: a new tool for DNA sequence detection and allele discrimination|journal=Molecular and Cellular Probes|date=December 2001|volume=15|issue=6|pages=363–374|doi=10.1006/mcpr.2001.0384|pmid=11851380| last1 = French | first1 = DJ | last2 = Archard | first2 = CL | last3 = Brown | first3 = T | last4 = McDowell | first4 = DG}} and diagnostics. In collaboration with AstraZeneca, they invented Scorpion Primers system, a fluorescence-based real-time PCR method that can identify mutations and Single-nucleotide polymorphism in human genome.{{cite journal|title=Mode of action and application of Scorpion primers to mutation detection|journal=Nucleic Acids Research|date=1 October 2000|volume=28|issue=19|pages=3752–3761|doi=10.1093/nar/28.19.3752 | last1 = Thelwell | first1 = N.|pmid=11000267|pmc=110766|doi-access=free}}{{cite book|last1=Mackay|first1=Ian M.|title=Real-time PCR in Microbiology: From Diagnosis to Characterization|date=1 July 2007|publisher=Horizon Scientific Press|isbn=978-1904455189|pages=25–30|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WKs13RhcEJAC|accessdate=6 March 2016}}{{cite book|last1=Logan|first1=Julie|title=Real-time PCR: Current Technology and Applications|date=1 January 2009|publisher=Horizon Scientific Press|isbn=978-1904455394|pages=156–157|edition=1st|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YxGKpOg8TuQC|accessdate=6 March 2016}}

Most recently, his group is focusing on the Click chemistry based chemical modification of DNA and its application in bionanotechnology sector.{{cite journal|last1=El-Sagheer|first1=Afaf H.|title=Click Nucleic Acid Ligation: Applications in Biology and Nanotechnology|journal=Accounts of Chemical Research|date=12 December 2011|volume=45|issue=8|pages=1258–1267|doi=10.1021/ar200321n|pmid=22439702|pmc=3423825}}

As of January 2016, Brown has published more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, with many of his papers appearing in highly selective journals like Nature, Nature Biotechnology, Cell, Nucleic Acids Research, JACS, and PNAS. His papers have been cited over 18,000 times and he has an h-index 68.{{cite web|title=Tom Brown : Google Scholar|url=https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=DanQbhQAAAAJ|publisher=Google Scholar|accessdate=19 February 2020}}

Brown was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Apart from that, he has received the following major honours in recognition of his research work:

• 1992: Brown received Makdougall Brisbane Prize from the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
• 1992: Brown was awarded Josef Loschmidt Award by the Royal Society of Chemistry{{cite web|title=Josef Loschmidt Award Winners|url=http://www.rsc.org/Membership/Networking/InterestGroups/PhysicalOrganic/JosefLoschmidt/winners.asp|publisher=Royal Society of Chemistry|accessdate=27 February 2016}}
• 2004: Brown received Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship from the Royal Society.{{cite web|title=Tom Brown:Royal Society|url=https://royalsociety.org/people/tom-brown-6538/|publisher=Royal Society|accessdate=27 February 2016}}
• 2008: Brown delivered Keynote Lecture at the Molecular Frontiers Symposium, in the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, A*STAR.{{cite web|title=Molecular Frontiers Symposium 2008|url=http://www.ibn.a-star.edu.sg/mf2008/symposium_speakers.php|website=Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology|publisher=A*STAR|accessdate=4 March 2016}}
• 2009: Brown received RSC Interdisciplinary Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry
• 2014: Brown received Chemistry World Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
• 2015: Brown delivered the invited lecture at the Nobel workshop, organised by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Chalmers.{{cite web|title=Nobel Workshop: Molecules in Materials Research|url=http://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/calendar/Pages/Nobel-Workshop-Molecules-in-Nanotechnology.aspx|publisher=Chalmers University of Technology|accessdate=4 March 2016}}{{cite news|title=Extending the Boundaries of Nucleic Acid Chemistry|url=https://kva.screen9.tv/media/hpFgb2T36O8p3A5na0qPyg/extending-the-boundaries-of-nucleic-acid-chemistry|accessdate=5 March 2016|work=Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences|publisher=Picsearch|date=6 May 2015}}
• 2015: Brown was awarded MPLS Impact lifetime Award by the Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences Division (MPLS) of the University of Oxford{{cite web|title=MPLS Impact Awards 2015/16|url=http://www.mpls.ox.ac.uk/news/mpls-impact-awards-2015-16|publisher=University of Oxford|accessdate=27 February 2016}}
• 2016: Brown received the BBSRC Commercial Innovator of the Year 2016 award and BBSRC Innovator of the Year 2016 award.{{cite web|title=Bioscience impact and innovation competition winners announced Bioscience impact and innovation competition winners announced|url=http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/news/people-skills-training/2016/160519-n-bioscience-impact-innovation-competition-winners-announced/|publisher=BBSRC|accessdate=19 June 2016}}

While working at the University of Edinburgh, Brown founded Oswel Research Products (the name 'Oswel' came from "Oligonucleotide synthesis" and "Wellcome Trust"), a company which was dedicated to automated DNA synthesis. Later, in 1995, the company moved to Southampton, along with Brown. In the year 1999, when the company had turnover of GBP 2.2 million and a profit of GBP 0.7 million, Eurogentec acquired Oswel.{{cite web|title=Company Overview of Eurogentec Ltd.|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=207188485|website=Bloomberg Businessweek|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|accessdate=4 March 2016}}{{cite web|title=Eurogentec has acquired Oswel Research Products Ltd.|url=http://www.eurogentec.com/news/41-eurogentec-has-acquired-oswel-research-products-ltd-.html|publisher=Eurogentec|accessdate=4 March 2016}}

In 2004, Brown co-founded (along with two of his University of Southampton colleagues) Primerdesign, a company which designs and manufactures products for quantitative Real-time polymerase chain reaction.{{cite web|title=Company Overview of Primerdesign Ltd|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapid=322351958|website=Bloomberg Businessweek|publisher=Bloomberg L.P.|accessdate=5 March 2016}} The company is best known for creating rapid Swine Flu detection kit in 2009, and for creating a test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus strain in 2020.{{cite news|last1=Bunkall|first1=Alistair|title=UK Firm Creates Rapid Swine Flu Test Kit|url=http://news.sky.com/story/690929/uk-firm-creates-rapid-swine-flu-test-kit|accessdate=5 March 2016|publisher=Sky News|date=4 May 2009}}{{cite news|title=First Swine Flu DNA Test Produced|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090509153309.htm|accessdate=5 March 2016|work=Science Daily|date=10 May 2009}}{{cite web |title=Healthcare Company Novacyt Launches New Coronavirus Test |url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2020/01/31/world/europe/31reuters-china-health-novacyt.html |website=The New York Times |accessdate=1 February 2020}}{{cite web |title=Novacyt shares jump 32% on launch of coronavirus test |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/31/novacyt-shares-jump-32percent-on-launch-of-coronavirus-test.html |website=CNBC |accessdate=1 February 2020}}{{cite web |title=Chandlers Ford company Primerdesign launch novel coronavirus test |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/18201164.chandlers-ford-company-primerdesign-launch-novel-coronavirus-test/ |website=Southern Daily Echo |accessdate=1 February 2020}}{{cite web |title=Novacyt in prime position with coronavirus test |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcare/article/novacyt-in-prime-position-with-coronavirus-test-z03xm556b |website=The Times |access-date=8 February 2020}}

In 2005, Brown founded ATDBio with an aim to synthesize chemically modified oligonucleotides for technical applications. As of June 2014, this company maintains two different labs at Southampton and Oxford.

{{reflist}}

• [http://research.chem.ox.ac.uk/professor-tom-brown.aspx Faculty Page on University of Oxford Website]
• [http://www.browngroupnucleicacidsresearch.org.uk Brown Research Group Website]

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Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Category:Academics of the University of Oxford

Category:Academics of the University of Southampton

Category:Alumni of the University of Bradford

Category:British chemists

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry

Category:Academics of the University of Edinburgh

Category:Living people

Category:1952 births