Lap-Chee Tsui
Person
Born: December 21, 1950, Hong Kong Category for Induction: Excellence in Health Research – Basic Research Education: PhD, University of Pittsburg, 1979
Driven by a commitment to science, and a creative approach to difficult problems, Dr. Lap-Chee Tsui made what is described as the most significant breakthrough in human genetics in 50 years, namely the discovery of the cystic fibrosis gene. Born in Shanghai, China, studied in Hong Kong and USA, and coming to Canada in the early 80s, Dr. Tsui is an innovator, mentor and role model who stands as a true giant in the field of human genetics. He has made extraordinary contributions to science through his discoveries and is a leader in developing the field of genomics in Canada and internationally. Indeed, his contributions reach round the world to the countless people afflicted with cystic fibrosis (CF), offering new hope for diagnosis and treatment.
The decade-long march to discover the cystic fibrosis gene began when Dr. Tsui arrived in Canada and applied a new theory called genetic linkage to map the most common inherited disease affecting Caucasians: cystic fibrosis. The work of Dr. Tsui, in collaboration with Dr. John Riordan at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and Dr. Francis Collins at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Michigan, led to mapping the CF gene to chromosome 7. The discovery, published in three foundational papers in 1989, alerted the scientific community to the powerful new tools now available for the study of inherited disease. One of the most closely watched endeavours in all of science, the search for the gene was regularly featured in scientific journals and mainstream media.