Robin Weiss, a prominent virologist recognized for his significant contributions to the UK’s efforts against the AIDS epidemic, passed away at the age of 86. In 1984, he spearheaded a team that identified the CD4 molecule as the cellular receptor for HIV, the virus responsible for AIDS. Following this discovery, he cultivated HIV in an immortalized cell line, facilitating the development of the UK\u2019s first HIV antibody test in collaboration with Richard Tedder, a test that was later commercialized by the Wellcome Foundation.<\/p>\n
This groundbreaking test enabled the precise identification of individuals infected with HIV on a large scale. Robin was also the first to demonstrate the neutralization of HIV by antibodies, a crucial advancement for vaccine development. These significant scientific milestones were accomplished during his tenure as the youngest-ever director of the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London, serving from 1980 to 1989.<\/p>\n
Robin was born in London in 1940 to Hans Weiss, a businessman, and Stefanie (n\u00e9e L\u00f6winsohn), who were secular Jewish refugees from Germany, having settled in the UK in 1935. In that same year, his father was interned in Scotland as an enemy alien. Robin attended Abbotsholme school in Staffordshire as a boarder before obtaining a first-class degree in zoology from University College London (UCL). Unsure about his career path, he sought advice from Peter Medawar, a Nobel laureate and the head of his department, who encouraged him to explore research.<\/p>\n
Robin continued at UCL to pursue a PhD under the supervision of Michael Abercrombie, who succeeded Medawar. His dissertation focused on how the Rous sarcoma retrovirus infects chickens, transforming normal cells into cancerous ones, marking his initial engagement with retroviruses, which would later shape his career.<\/p>\n
Retroviruses are an ancient group of RNA viruses that have the unique ability to convert their RNA genome into DNA, which can then integrate permanently into the host’s genome. They are prevalent among various species, including animals, birds, and humans.<\/p>\n
While working as a lecturer in embryology at UCL from 1963 to 1970, Robin published a significant paper on endogenous retroviruses. He discovered that some embryonic chick fibroblasts released infectious Rous sarcoma virus (RSV), which needs a helper virus for replication, leading him to propose that normal embryonic cells contained an integrated endogenous retrovirus. His initial submission was rejected, but encouragement from Howard Temin, a Nobel Prize-winning American retrovirologist, prompted him to resubmit. Today, it is understood that endogenous retroviruses are prevalent, making up nearly 10% of the human genome.<\/p>\n
In 1970, Robin received a fellowship to work in Peter Vogt\u2019s lab at the University of Southern California, where he investigated endogenous retroviruses in chickens. His research on their origins took him to Malaysia, where he found evidence that these viruses existed in the ancestral Malaysian red jungle fowl before domestication.<\/p>\n
In 1972, he joined the Imperial Cancer Research Fund laboratories in London, recruited by Sir Michael Stoker to study viral oncogenes, which are cancer-causing genes found in retroviruses linked to human cancers. There, he began co-authoring a comprehensive two-volume work titled “RNA Tumor Viruses” with Harald Varmus, Natalie Teich, and John Coffin, which became a seminal reference in retrovirology.<\/p>\n
In 1979, Robin was invited by Sir Richard Doll, the chair of the ICR, to apply for the director position, with encouragement from Medawar. Upon taking the role, he focused on transforming the institute by bringing in young cell and molecular biologists, including Chris Marshall and Alan Hall, who discovered a new oncogene known as N-RAS. Under Robin’s guidance, they investigated the molecular mechanisms of N-RAS and its signaling pathways, which are implicated in numerous human cancers, laying the groundwork for future anti-cancer therapies. Meanwhile, Robin studied the newly identified human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV).<\/p>\n
In 1984, the newly recognized human retrovirus HIV-1 was confirmed as the cause of AIDS. Acknowledging the AIDS crisis as a pressing public health issue, Robin quickly redirected his laboratory\u2019s focus to this new virus. Although he preferred a smaller lab environment, he recognized the necessity of training scientists and healthcare professionals in HIV research, and his lab swiftly became a leading center for HIV retrovirology in the UK.<\/p>\n
Robin was known for his generosity with his time and knowledge, serving as a highly sought-after advisor on HIV matters for the Medical Research Council, the Department of Health, the pharmaceutical sector, and various international organizations. He was also a prolific writer and a respected collaborator, contributing numerous influential articles on HIV to the journal Nature. His lab attracted numerous ambitious students and researchers, and under his mentorship, all 12 scientists who worked with him in the late 1980s went on to secure professorships at universities.<\/p>\n
In 1999, Robin returned to UCL as a professor of viral oncology, where he embraced the opportunity to expand his research interests. Collaborating with Jonathan Stoye, he revisited the study of endogenous retroviruses, specifically focusing on porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) and their potential for reactivation following pig kidney transplantation into humans. Additionally, he developed monoclonal “nanobodies” derived from llamas, chosen for their ability to produce small, single-chain antibodies that could penetrate narrow antigenic sites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Robin Weiss, a prominent virologist recognized for his significant contributions to the UK’s efforts against the AIDS epidemic, passed away at the age of 86. In 1984, he spearheaded a team that identified the CD4 molecule as the cellular receptor for HIV, the virus responsible for AIDS. Following this discovery, he cultivated HIV in an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7740,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1045,1868,1399,1808,175,1867,99,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-aids-and-hiv","category-uk-institute-of-cancer-research","category-uk-medical-research","category-uk-people-in-science","category-uk-science","category-uk-science-prizes","category-uk-society","category-uk"],"yoast_head":"\n