Chris Mathew was born and raised in South Africa, where he graduated with a BSc Honours in Biochemistry. He then moved with his wife Denise to London where he obtained a PhD in molecular biology at the Institute of Cancer Research. He later worked with Sir Bruce Ponder at the Institute on mapping genes for hereditary cancers and moved to the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics in 1989 as Director of the newly formed NHS DNA Diagnostic Laboratory. He was appointed Professor of Molecular Genetics in the Department in 1999 and served in various roles including Deputy Head and acting Head of Department until his full retirement in January 2020 when he was appointed as Professor Emeritus.
Chris was keen to develop the emerging field of Cancer Genetics in his native South Africa and was appointed Distinguished Professor in Human Genetics at the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg in 2015. His research group is focused on studying the genetics and genomics of common cancers in the Black South African population, and on the application of molecular technology and knowledge to improved diagnosis and treatment for African cancer patients.
Chris has served on many professional committees and research grant panels including Chair of the Special Advisory Committee on Genetics for the Royal College of Pathologists, member of the Wellcome Trust Molecular and Cell Panel, Vice-Chair of Cancer Research UK’s Biological Science Committee and Chair of CRUK’s International Cancer Genome Review Panel.
He was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (UK) in 2011 in recognition of his discovery of genes involved in susceptibility to cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. He is delighted to be able to contribute to the further success of the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Guy’s in his role as a Trustee for The Generation Trust.