Endocrine Abstracts

Professor Jonathan R Seckl, UK Abstract

This prestigious prize is intended for established workers in the field of basic and clinical neuroendocrinology and is generously supported by Ipsen. This year’s recipient is Professor Jonathan R Seckl. The prize will be presented as part of the ICE/ECE 2012 opening ceremony where Prof. Seckl will deliver his lecture. Prof. Seckl will also deliver two other lectures at future ESE scientific meetings. Further information can be found at http://www.euro-endo.org/prizes/default.htm

Professor Jonathan R Seckl, Moncrieff-Arnott Professor of Molecular Medicine and Executive Dean, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, Endocrinology Unit, Centre for Cardiovascular Science, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

Jonathan Seckl is both medically and scientifically qualified (MBBS at UCL, PhD at ICL). A clinical endocrinologist and former Wellcome Trust Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Seckl’s research (funded by successive programme grants from the Wellcome Trust, and additional programme awards from MRC, Wellcome and HFSP) focuses on glucocorticoid biology from ‘cloning to clinic’. His main themes are the importance of local tissue regeneration of glucocorticoids by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases as a cause of and therapeutic target for age-related memory impairments and the metabolic syndrome-diabetes-obesity continuum. His group advanced and supported the glucocorticoid hypothesis of fetal ‘programming’ and has elucidated molecular and epigenetic mechanisms by which this leads to subsequent disorders in adult life. Seckl has authored ~300 peer-reviewed papers (career citations >22,000; h=78), has given ~200 invited lectures at international meetings, has talked to schools, teachers groups, lay audiences and in public fora.

Thirty-eight of his students have gained PhDs, several are now Professors around the globe. He has been on committees for the MRC, Wellcome Trust, RSE, RS, UK charities, the EU, the Scottish Government, and the Councils of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Society for Endocrinology.