Congratulations to VVP Karen Vousden, PhD, Principal Group Leader at the Francis Crick Institute, who has just been awarded the 2023 Sir Hans Krebs Medal from FEBS (Federation of European Biochemical Societies. The Sir Hans Krebs Lecture and Medal is awarded for outstanding achievements in biochemistry and molecular biology or related sciences. Dr Vousden was presented with the medal at the 47th FEBS Congress on July 8, 2023, in Tours, France, where she delivered the Opening Plenary lecture (the FEBS Sir Hans Krebs Lecture) on ‘Diet, metabolism and cancer progression.’

Karen’s research has made contributions to our understanding of how the tumor suppressor protein p53 is regulated and the functions of p53 that contribute to its ability to control cancer progression. During these studies, her group revealed an unexpected ability of p53 to help cells adapt and survive under transient periods of nutrient starvation. This work has led to a more general investigation of cancer cell metabolism, focused on exploring the role of oxidative stress and serine metabolism in cancer development and metastatic progression.

Dr Vousden answers some questions about her research here...