International honour for Imperial College bioscientist

EMBO recognises researcher's achievements - News

By Danielle Reeves
Friday 17 October 2008

A leading bioscience researcher from Imperial College has been elected to the membership of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), it was announced this week.

Professor Paul Freemont, Head of the College's Division of Molecular Biosciences, is among 51 renowned life scientists from across Europe whose excellence in research has been acknowledged by EMBO and rewarded with lifetime membership of the Organisation in their 2008 annual round of elections.

Professor Freemont's research includes finding out how disease-linked proteins in human cells work at the molecular level. He has made several important contributions in this field including the seminal discovery and characterisation of a functional module inside proteins called the 'RING finger' which is of fundamental importance in biology. The RING finger is found in a large number of human proteins, and is mutated in many cancer and disease -linked proteins.

Professor Freemont is among 51 new EMBO members

His most recent work uses interdisciplinary structural biology techniques to understand the molecular function of a highly abundant human protein called p97, which is thought to dismantle large multi-protein complexes inside human cells, either to dispose of them or as part of other cellular functions. Inherited genetic mutations in p97 are linked with IBMPFD, a complex human disease which causes muscle weakness, bone disorder and dementia. p97 is also often linked with common neurodegenerative diseases.

Professor Freemont has also, alongside Professor Richard Kitney from the College's Department of Bioengineering, pioneered new research projects in the emerging field of synthetic biology, which combines engineering techniques with biology in order to use cells as manufacturing units to build engineering parts.

Commenting on his election as a member of EMBO, Professor Freemont said: "I am honoured and humbled to have been recognised by my peers by election to EMBO, but without the enormous contributions of my past and present research group, this would not have been possible. I am very much looking forward to working with EMBO to promote European molecular biology."

New EMBO members are nominated and elected annually by existing members. EMBO members represent a high-profile cross section of researchers from all fields of molecular life sciences ranging from developmental biology, genomics, molecular medicine, neuroscience and plant biology to systems biology. Forty-seven scientists from the EMBO membership have received the Nobel Prize, many others are recipients of prestigious international awards.

"We welcome this illustrious group of researchers to EMBO membership. Their individual contributions have significantly advanced the molecular life sciences," said Hermann Bujard, EMBO Director. "As EMBO Members, they will participate in the organisation's numerous activities that foster talented scientists to contribute knowledge to address the challenges of a changing world."

EMBO will welcome this year's newly elected members and associate members at The EMBO Meeting to be held in Amsterdam from 29 August to 1 September 2009.

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