Dr. Gerard A. Quash, former Director of Research at the National Institute for Health and Medical
Research Lyon, France will be visiting the
Faculty of Medical Sciences from March 21-25. He
will conduct a seminar entitled “Chemorisistence
in Cancer” on Monday, March 21 beginning at 4:00
p.m. at the Tropical Medicine Research Institute
Seminar Room. On Wednesday, March 23 Dr. Quash
will participate in a Clinicopathological
Conference at the Main Medical Lecture Theatre
beginning at 5:00 p.m. He will speak on “Septic
Shock”. This conference (only) is open to the
public.
Dr. Quash worked in the Department of
Biochemistry at Mona in 1965 after receiving his
doctorate in Biochemistry from the University of
Paris for research done at the Pasteur
Institute. While at Mona, he pursued research
into the role of polyamines in controlling cell
growth and was the first to develop methods for
producing antibodies to polyamines. As
polyamines at that time were thought to be cancer
markers, his work caught the attention of the
American Cancer Society, who awarded him (1969 –
1970) a fellowship of the International Union
Against Cancer to the French Cancer Institute:
Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif.
On his return to Jamaica in 1971, he continued
his teaching and research and was promoted to
Senior Lecturer, the post which he occupied until
he left the University in 1974 to return to
France.