Dr John R Jenkins obtained his PhD degree in 1980 from the University of London and performed postdoctoral research at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London. He subsequently worked at the Marie Curie Research Institute in Oxted (1983–1999) as head of the Cell Proliferation Laboratory. In 1983 he established the International p53 workshop cycle and organized this meeting for a number of years, often in collaboration with Professor Pierre May in Paris. In 1987 he founded the Journal Oncogene (Nature Publishing Group), of which, together with Dr E Premkumar Reddy, he is Editor. Included among work from his laboratory on mechanisms of malignant cell transformation are major contributions in the area of p53 biology, including definition of its potential both as a cellular immortalizing agent and as a transforming oncogene, demonstration of the mutation-dependent interaction of p53 with cellular heat-shock proteins, the DNA helicase-regulatory activity of p53 in SV40 viral DNA replication, and the role of protein oligomerization in p53 function. Dr Jenkins holds a Professorship at the Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology in Philadelphia, and is a founder of Onconova Therapeutics Inc, a privately held biopharmaceutical company located in Princeton, NJ, USA.

Dr Lawrence M Banks obtained his PhD degree in 1984 from the University of Leeds in the Department of Microbiology. He performed post-doctoral research at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in London, where he developed his interests in p53 and Human Papillomaviruses (HPVs). In 1990 he moved to the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Trieste, where he is currently a Senior Scientist and head of the Virology group. The laboratory has made important contributions in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the function of HPV encoded proteins, involved viral replication and cell transformation. Current interests are concerned with defining mechanisms of action of the viral oncoproteins, with particular emphasis on the E6 protein and its interactions with the p53 and the Discs Large tumour suppressor proteins.