Rate My Professor Parry Guilford

Professor Parry Guilford is a Research Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago, within the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Division of Health Sciences. He completed his MSc at the University of Otago in 1983 and his PhD at the University of Cambridge in 1989. As Director of the Centre for Translational Cancer Research (Te Aho Matatū) and Research Director of Pacific Edge Biotechnology Ltd, he leads efforts to improve cancer patient outcomes through translational research. Guilford's work focuses on cancer susceptibility, translational cancer research, personalised medicine, genetics of inherited cancers particularly gastric cancer, and gene expression analysis for cancer diagnosis and management.

Guilford discovered germline mutations in the E-cadherin (CDH1) gene causing hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC), published in his seminal 1998 Nature paper 'E-cadherin germline mutations in familial gastric cancer'. Other key publications include 'Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer syndrome: CDH1 mutations and beyond' (JAMA Oncology, 2015), 'Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer: updated consensus guidelines for clinical management and directions for future research' (Journal of Medical Genetics, 2010), 'Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer: updated clinical guidelines with an emphasis on germline CDH1 mutation carriers' (Journal of Medical Genetics, 2015), and recent articles such as 'The changing landscape of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer' (Journal of Gastric Cancer, 2026). His research has informed international HDGC management guidelines and advanced diagnostics through Pacific Edge's technologies. Awards include the University of Otago Distinguished Research Medal (2017), Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi (2016), Sir Charles Hercus Medal (2014), Health Research Council Beaven Medal (2013), OSMS Commercialisation Award (2013), and James Cook Fellowship (2009). He has presented lectures including his 2017 Distinguished Research Medal lecture 'Evolution, families and cancer'.