Professor Michael Ferguson

Michael Ferguson obtained a BSc in Biochemistry at The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (1979) and a PhD in Biochemistry (1982) at London University.

It was during his PhD that he was introduced to the world of protozoan parasites and the structure and biosynthesis of cell surface glycoproteins and glycolipids of trypanosomes.

Fascinated by these organisms, and by how one might tackle them therapeutically through understanding their cell-surface molecular architecture, he did post-doctoral research on at the Rockefeller University, New York, with George Cross (1982-1985). There, he worked on how the protective variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat is held on the surface of Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. This work lead to the naming, and first partial structure, of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) membrane anchors in 1985. GPIs have since been shown to be ubiquitous among the eukaryotes and to be involved in many aspects of general cell biology, with many implications in health and disease.

During his second post-doc at Oxford University (1985-1988) with Raymond Dwek, he and his collaborator Steve Homans determined the first two complete GPI anchor structures, for T.brucei VSG and rat Thy-1 antigen, and established general methodologies and chemistries to study this new class of molecules.

Michael took up a faculty position at The University of Dundee in 1988 and established a laboratory dedicated to solving the structures of the major cell surface molecules of T.brucei, T.cruzi and the leishmania, providing a useful frame of reference for scientists working on trypanosomes and the leishmania.

He also initiated studies to understand the similarities and differences in GPI anchor biosynthesis, and other glycosylation pathways, between the parasites and their human host. This work involved substantial collaborations with synthetic organic chemists who provided the necessary substrates and substrate analogues, through innovative syntheses, to fuel this comparative enzymology.

Michael's studies on the enzymology of parasite glycosylation systems, and exposure to the power of combining biology with synthetic organic chemistry, inspired him and his colleagues to establish a Drug Discovery Unit at The University of Dundee in 2006. This unit translates the outputs of basic research into fully-fledged and professional drug discovery programmes to deliver pre-clinical drug candidates against neglected tropical diseases.

Michael Ferguson has published over 200 peer reviewed research papers. His work has been recognised by prizes, such as the 1991 Colworth Medal of the British Biochemical Society, the 1996 Makdougall Brisbane Prize of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the 1999 International Glycoconjugate Organisation Award and the 2006 Wright Medal of The British Society for Parasitology. He has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation. He was also made a Commander of the British Empire for services to science in 2008.

He became Dean of Research for the College of Life Sciences at Dundee, which one of Europe’s leading biomedical research centres, in 2007. He sees his principal role as an enabling one, helping to provide the infrastructure and environment in which his colleagues across many disciplines can thrive.

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