Tillotson Lecture Focuses on Biotechnology Revolution

Professor Ali gave the audience an overview of biotechnology from 1970 from the first isolation of restriction enzymes in bacteria, to his latest projects at King’s where his team is working on developing a range of gene and stem cell therapies. Dr Ali then went on to field a range of questions, such as: To what extent can you rely on the use of potentially pathogenic viruses in possible lifechanging treatments? And: Is there a correlation between retinal detachment and ethnicity or genetics? Asked what advice he would give to the students in the audience, he advised them to follow their passions and interests, to see things through, to have patience and perseverance and to work only on things that are really worth working on.

Earlier in the day, Professor Ali visited Biology and Design Tech classes in the Boys’ Division and enjoyed a tour of the campus.

Dating back to 1971, the Bolton School Boys’ Division Tillotson Lecture was inaugurated and supported by the late Marcus Tillotson (Class of 1949), part of The Bolton News empire. Old Boy Professor Robin Ali (Class of 1984), Professor of Human Molecular Genetics at King’s College London, returned to School to deliver the 50th lecture in the series. Professor Ali said it was a pleasure and an honour to be invited back to Bolton School. He spoke of his fond memories of his time at School and was delighted to see that it is “still a great educational environment”. He said, rather modestly, that in 2003, when he became the youngest professor (of Molecular Genetics) at UCL, it was a rapidly moving field and it was more down to being in the right place at the right time than his own brilliance. He also told how, two years ago, he moved across to King’s College London to head up a centre for advanced therapies. Whilst the centre has many academic teams, he said his main focus is, and has been for 30 years or so, on advanced gene cell therapies for the treatment of eye diseases, particularly inherited retinal disorders.

The lecture can be seen in full at: bit.ly/3JRQZVK.

Monitors Thomas Ghee and John Jeffrey (JJ) Campbell took time out of their busy A Level schedule to interview Professor Ali about his time at Bolton School and his subsequent career.

Robin’s favourite subjects at School were History and Biology; during his A Level career he strongly valued the importance of History and the arts alongside his traditional science base. His personal interest for History is something that has continued into his adult life, reading regularly on topics from Medieval and Roman History. He cites Old Boy Professor Norman Davies (Class of 1957) as one of his favourite historians, informing his interest for European and Polish History. He recalls Biology lessons with Mr Slater and Dr Ward, noting that Biology field trips were one of his favourite aspects of his academic career. He also remembers Chemistry teacher Dr Watson giving entertaining lectures on life information such as how to buy a good secondhand car or viewing the world through the eyes of a cynic. After leaving Bolton School, Robin attended University College London, initially to undertake a degree in Microbiology, citing a contemporary interest in Virology as his decision in doing so. However, he quickly realised that there were parts of the course that he did not enjoy, and thus changed courses to specialise in Genetics, going on to earn a BSc in the subject. Following this, Robin returned to University College London to undertake a PhD to cement his study and qualification.

Alongside acting on the Board of Advisors for several major pharmaceutical companies, Robin’s recent ventures have been working for companies attracting investment from major firms such as Johnson & Johnson, acting as the Chief Scientific Officer. Having left this role a few years ago, he is now involved in founding a new company to continue his aim to maintain scientific innovation –something which he considers a key aspect of his career. On a day-to-day basis, Robin’s working schedule is dominated by organisation and strategy meetings, primarily in relation to his role as a Head of Department at King’s College London. However, he does also note the importance of spending time talking to his researchers regarding scientific investigation and development to go over results and data. One aspect that is no longer part of his career is carrying out experiments himself, although much of his time is devoted to assessing and evaluating experimental results and writing up the papers. Robin laments moving away from the lab and bench, one of the most cherished aspects of his earlier career, fondly remembering the excitement of seeing the results of his own experiments first-hand.

Robin regards becoming a pioneer in gene therapy and being part of a technological revolution in that field as his greatest achievement during his career. The journey of his study, developing an active treatment for humans in gene therapy, is something to which he feels privileged to have experienced. In order to do his job, Robin credits his skill in being an effective manager and communicator, whether it be with his own team, stakeholders or various authorities. In leadership, he values direction and autonomy over micro-managing, and setting clear objectives with freedom to achieve them.

The broad general education Robin inherited from Bolton School has facilitated his interest across different subject areas, which he considers the greatest benefit from his School education. Given what he has learnt from his time at Bolton School, a key quality he looks for in upcoming scientists is the ability to write and communicate clearly and effectively, even more so than the ability to undertake experiments. He also stresses the importance of creativity, and the ability to execute affordable ideas in a pragmatic fashion. When asked for his advice for pupils interested in pursuing a similar career, Robin reinforces the importance of reading, studying and following one’s passions. His own experiences of leaving School and entering the professional world have led him to believe that by following a genuine set of interests, a successful academic career will naturally fall into place.