George Brownlee

Education Brownlee was educated at Dulwich College

Career and Research Brownlee was Professor of Chemical Pathology at Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, from 1978 to 2008.

Brownlee cloned and expressed human clotting factor IX, providing a recombinant source of this protein for Haemophilia B patients who had previously relied on the hazardous blood-derived product.

With Merlin Crossley he helped discover the two sets of genetic mutations that were preventing two key proteins from attaching to the DNA of people with a rare and unusual form of Haemophilia B – Haemophilia B Leyden – where sufferers experience episodes of excessive bleeding in childhood but have few bleeding problems after puberty. This lack of protein attachment to the DNA was thereby turning off the gene that produces clotting factor IX, which prevents excessive bleeding.

With Peter Palese and co-workers he developed the first reverse genetics system for influenza virus, markedly speeding up the process of developing influenza vaccines.

Brownlee authored a biography of Fred Sanger published in 2014.

Awards and honours Brownlee was awarded The Colworth Medal by the Biochemical Society in 1976

Brownlee was also elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) in 1998 and an EMBO Member in 1979.