Jerry Adams, 2003-01-15

Jerry McKee Adams has made many important contributions to the fields of molecular biology and immunology. After completing his BSc in Chemistry at Emory in 1962, he completed his Ph.D. at Harvard under James Watson. During this time, Adams and Mario Capecchi discovered the initiation mechanism for polypeptides. Adams earned his degree in 1967 and went on to do post-doctoral work at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, where he met his wife, Suzanne Cory. They did further research in Geneva, and in 1972 joined The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia. Adams and Cory’s major discoveries include: uncovering that antibody genes are encoded as pieces which combine in many ways, cloning the first mammalian genes in Australia, tracking down the genetic mutation that leads to Burkett’s Lymphoma, finding the bcl-2 gene and connecting it to apoptosis (with David Vaux). Adams is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (1986), a Fellow of the Royal Society (1992), and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Victoria (1997). Adams was awarded the Macfarlane Burnet Medal and Lecture in 2014. Today, Adams holds the position of Laboratory Head in the Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division of The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research.