Professor Anant Parekh FRS has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, the UK's distinguished body of Science that dates back to 1660 and includes Sir Isaac Newton, Charle Darwin and Count Rutherford as former members.
Anant's research investigates how cells communicate with one another, with an emphasis on how the ubiquitous intracellular signalling messenger calcium controls biological functions such as secretion, energy production and gene expression. He is particularly interested in how aberrant calcium signals can contribute to ill health in humans, including allergies and asthma.
Anant's work has transformed our understanding of how cells generate calcium signals and how they can be used to activate specific physiological targets. His work is also leading to the development of new drugs that target calcium channels for therapeutic use, especially in asthma.
Anant has received several awards for his research, including the Wellcome and GL Brown Prizes in Physiology in recognition of his transformative contributions to the fields of signal transduction. He was elected a member of Academia Europaea in 2002 and the UK Academy of Medical Sciences in 2012.
It is of course both humbling and a great honour to be elected to the Royal Society. However, nothing occurs in a vacuum and this really reflects the wonderful mentors I have had at key stages in my career, the support from the Department over many years and the excellent young scientists who have worked and continue to work in my group, without whom this election would not have been possible. - Professor Parekh, on hearing of his election
Head of Department, David Paterson, says: "Being awarded a Fellowship from The Royal Society is a fantastic achievement for every scientist and a major highlight for one’s career. This great honour reflects the world leading position that Anant holds in the area of cellular physiology and calcium signalling. The Department is immensely proud of his achievement and I would like to offer our warmest congratulations."
Five Oxford Academics have been honoured by the Royal Society. Read more on the University of Oxford website.
The full announcement is available to read on the Royal Society website.