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Dr Ralph Anthony David Williams, B.Sc., Dip.Biochem., Ph.D.

Honorary Senior Lecturer

Email: r.a.d.williams@qmul.ac.uk

Profile

1954-8 Analytical Chemistry Laboratory; 1958-61  BSc C.Chem., A.R.I.C.; 1961-2 St Marys Hospital Medical School, 1963 Diploma in Biochemistry; 1962-5 Dental Research Laboratory and the New Dental Institute; PhD. (Biochemistry: Effects of Fluoride on Oral Streptococci); 1965 Lecturer in Biochemistry, LHMC; 1968-9 Postdoctoral, Microbiology Deptartment. Univ. of Texas, Austin.

Two research themes were carried out in the Dental Institute and Biochemistry Department. Overseas teaching and research in both interests, The Royal Society funded visits to Iceland to collect specimens. Dows Dental Laboratory, Iowa City a radiochemical measuring of glycolysis in oral mucosa. Dental Laboratory University of Connecticut Health Centre in radiochemical measurement in plaque. Molecular Biology Course at Coimbra University, Portugal.

MSc practical course, as part of a five-year link with LHMC Biochemistry Department, at Makerere University Kampala, Uganda funded by the British Council.  Materials and chemicals were provided by a Society of General of Microbiology grant of £4000.  Two visits to Biology Department, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey to collect samples with two Ph.D students and give lectures. Three visits to Biology Department Anadolu University, Eskisehir, Turkey to assist a Ph.D. student with the thermophiles. Five visits to Biology Department, Chinese University, Hong Kong included collecting samples with 4 Ph.D. students in Taiwan.  Visit to the Horikoshi project.

2007: Retired and re-appointed part-time to teach and organise Year 1 BDS.  2016 Retired. Honorary contract. 2016-2021

Centre: Oral Bioengineering

 

Teaching

Advising PhD students. 

Publications for Teaching:

Basic and Applied Dental Biochemistry (1979 and 1989) R.A.D.Williams, J.C.Elliott Churchill Livingstone (and Spanish and Italian translations)
Dental Caries: Aetiology, Pathology and Prevention. (1981) L.A.Silverstone, N.W.Johnson, J.M. Hardie, R.A.D.Williams. MacMillan Press (and Spanish Edition)
Antimicrobial Drug Action(1996) R.A.D.Williams, P.A.Lambert,, P. Singleton Bios Scientific Publishers.

Research

Research Interests:

Metabolism of Thalidomide in the rabbit. Effect of pilocarpine on saliva viscocity; Fluoride resistance in streptococci; Glycolytic intermediates in streptococci exposed to fluoride; Enzyme electrophoresis of streptococci; Isolation, DNA base ratio, glyoxylate cycle metabolism and physiology of thermophilic thiobacillus.

Physiology, cell walls, DNA base ratios of Icelandic Thermus strains (R.Pask-Hughes); Cell walls, enzymes, DNA base ratio and metabolism of lactobacilli from cider and wine; Bacteroides DNA homology; Pigment of Bacteroides identified as porphyrin metabolism (H.N.Shah); Physiology, protein electrophoresis, DNA base ratios and DNA homology; Haemophilus metabolism (J.Tuyau); Studies of oral lactobacilli, corynebacteria, and actinomyces from animals (V.E Dent). Thermostable restriction endonuclease (N.D.Raven); Thermophilic clostridia from Iceland (A.C.Stainthorpe); Glutamate transport Thermus (J.G.Holtom).

Thermus ruber DNA homology; 16srDNA of Thermus ruber; Streptococcal proteinase (H.French); Oral epithelial Iron deficiency (A.Ranasinghe): Radiochemical assay for glycolysis in plaque and palatal mucosa (M.Hill);  Phycomyces steroid transformation (F.Ahmed), Streptomyces steroid transformation (J.R.Berrie); steroid transformation in thermophilic bacillus (O.Sideso); Restriction endonucleases Bacilli from Kuwait (S. Al-Awadhi)

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