Virus Study In U.S. University

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30793, 3 July 1965, Page 16

Virus Study In U.S. University

Dr. A. D. Thomson, officer in charge of the Lincoln sub-station of the Plant Diseases Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research,’ has been awarded a United States National Health Department Fellowship which will take him to the University of Illinois at Urbana for a year.

At Urbana, Dr. Thomson said yesterday, he would work in the laboratory of Professor L. M. Black, a virologist who is particularly interested in the relationship of viruses to their vectors or carriers. He was hoping to study the

relationship of a plant virus and its aphis vector and the growth of the virus in the plant cells. “I am of the opinion that both of these problems are two of the most challenging in virology at the present time,” he said. Dr. Thomson said he was hoping to use the cauliflower mosaic virus. It was large and complex in structure and had

an aphis vector. At Lincoln information had been obtained on the basic principles of this virus in the purified form. That was preliminary work, and the next stage was to find out how it was assembled, how it moved from one cell to another, and how it was carried by aphis.

Dr. Thomson will visit plant disease laboratories throughout the United States, and he hopes to study developments in the field of cancers and viruses and the possible relationships of viruses to lukaemia. Dr. Thomson said he had been working in this field with Dr. F. W. Gunz, of the Christchurch Public Hospital, and Professor J. A. R. Miles, of the Otago Medical School. The Americans were working along similar lines and it would be useful to compare results.

Dr. Thomson, who has been officer in charge of the Lincoln sub-station of the Plant Diseases Division for the last year, will leave to take up the fellowhip in the United States later in the year. Born in Hamilton, he graduated from Auckland University College as master of science in 1954. He joined the potato section of the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in 1955 and transferred to the Plant Diseases Division about 1957. He has been with the division ever since, except for two vears and a half during which he was studying for a doctorate of philosophy at Cambridge. He gained his doctorate in 1960.

Fell From Ladder.—Mr M. Richards, of 111 Mackworth street, suffered head injuries when he fell 10ft from a ladder, hitting a concrete wall, yesterday afternoon. He was admitted to the Princess Marearet Hospital where his condition last evening was satisfactory.