Peter Agre is a Professor of Biological Chemistry and Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHMi), Baltimore, who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, shared with Prof. Roderick MacKinnon. Peter Agre obtained his B.A. in chemistry from Augsburg College, Minneapolis, in 1970 and his M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1974. After working as a postdoctoral fellow and senior research scientist at the University of North Carolina he returned to Hopkins in 1981 where he still works. Prof. Agre was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the studies he began in the late 1980s concerning channels in cell membranes. The award illustrated how contemporary biochemistry reaches down to the atomic level in its quest to understand the fundamental processes of life. That the body's cells must contain specific channels for transporting water was suspected as early as the middle of the nineteenth century. However, it was not until 1988 that Prof. Agre suceeded in isolating a membrane protein that he realised must be the long-sought-after water channel out of and into cells. This discovery opened the door to a whole series of biochemical, physiological and genetic studies of great importance for the understanding of many diseases of e.g. the kidneys, heart, muscles, nervous system, eyes, and secretory glands.
Monday, March 14, 2005:
14:00 Keynote speech and dialogue at Thammasat University
Information & free tickets: Phone 02-564-3001-9 ext. 3104 or 3122
fax 02-564-3001-9 ext. 3039 or 3040, e-mail wuruaya@engr.tu.ac.th or csatok@engrtu.ac.th
Tuesday, March 15, 2005:
10:00 Keynote speech and dialogue at the National Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Center (BIOTEC) of the Ministry of Science and Technology: 'Aquaporin water channels: From atomic structure to clinical medecine'
(not a public event)
15:00 Keynote speech and dialogue at the Asian Institute of Technology
Information & free tickets: Phone 02-524-5005, Fax 02-524-6005,
E-mail nadeera@ait.ac.th
Wednesday, March 16, 2005:
14:00 Keynote speech and dialogue at Chiang Mai University
Information & free tickets: Phone 053-943-661-5, 224-076 and 941-007,
Fax 053-219-252,943-666 and 942-666, E-mail opxxo004@chiangmai.ac.th and vpi@chiangmai.ac.th
Thursday, March 17, 2005:
15:00 Workshop on medical chemistry hosted by the Thailand Research Fund: 'Aquaporim water channels: From atomic structure to clinical medicine'
(not a public event)
Friday, March 18, 2005:
14:00 Keynote speech and dialogue at Burapha University
Information & free tickets: Phone 038-745-900 ext. 1012, Fax 03-839-0038,
E-Mail pantuwan@buu.ac.th
