THE RIO TINTO RIDE TO CONQUER CANCER ANNOUNCES $5.2 MILLION RAISED AS 2ND ANNUAL RIDE COMMENCES IN QUEENSLAND

Largest cycling fundraiser in Australia's history draws 1,519 riders and funds the translation of discoveries into treatments, diagnostics and prevention strategies at Queensland Institute of Medical Research

The Ride To Conquer Cancer Raises Half A Million Dollars Nationally As Part Of Annual Epic Impact Day Fundraising Initiative

Strength in numbers: 1343 Riders complete the 200km Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer

1343 Riders Raise $4.7 Million for Cancer Research

Rio Tinto and QIMR join forces to combat cancer

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Professor Frank Gannon Director & CEO

Professor Frank Gannon is QIMR's seventh Director and CEO. The Director and CEO is responsible for the research work undertaken by the Institute and management of our employees. Professor Frank Gannon joined QIMR as Director and CEO January 2011.

Previously, Professor Gannon was the Director General at the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) from 2007 until his move to Brisbane.

Before his position at SFI, Professor Gannon was the Executive Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and Senior Scientist at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), based in Germany; and Director of the National Diagnostic Centre and Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at University College Galway, Ireland. He obtained a Bachelor of Science from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 1970, a PhD from the University of Leicester, England in 1973, was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Madison Wisconsin, USA from 1973 to 1975, and Chargé de Recherche in INSERM at the University of Strasbourg, France from 1975 to 1981, when he moved back to Galway. His major research interest is the expression and functional regulation of the oestrogen receptor which plays a major role in breast cancer and osteoporosis. These studies have provided leads to novel treatments or therapeutic approaches to these and other cancers.

Professor Gannon has authored over 200 research articles published in international journals. In addition, he contributes a monthly editorial to EMBO reports of which he is founding Senior Editor and also writes extensively on diverse topics related to science policy. Professor Gannon has seven patent applications, four of which are active at present and was the founder of both Bimini Ltd. (1990) and Elara Pharmaceuticals (2006). He was a member of the interim Board of Science Foundation Ireland from 2002 to 2004 and was elected as a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in May 2008. He has served on a range of high-level scientific advisory boards at institutes throughout the world and was co-founder of the European Life Sciences Forum (ELSF) and the Initiative for Science Europe (ISE) that played significant roles in the establishment of the European Research Council (ERC).