Breathing new life into science: Gairdner Award recipient to explain how cells sense oxygen

One of the 2010 Canada Gairdner International Award recipients will spend Monday, October 25, at The University of Western Ontario where he'll meet with undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students, as well as high school students from the region. Dr. Peter J. Ratcliffe was selected for the prestigious prize for his work identifying how cells sense oxygen.

He will give a free public lecture on the topic at 10:30 a.m. in Auditorium A at University Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre followed by a more casual lunchtime talk with high school students in Patios 2 and 3 at noon.

The Canada Gairdner International Award recognizes and rewards the achievements of medical researchers whose work contributes significantly to improving the quality of human life. It has become Canada's foremost international award, carrying with it a $100,000 prize. As part of the award week, recipients travel to universities across the country to engage and inspire students.

Dr. Ratcliffe is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Oxford University. He trained in renal medicine at Oxford but has spent most of his career working on cellular oxygen sensing pathways. For more on Dr. Ratcliffe's career, please see his CV here.

Over the past 50 years, the Gairdner Foundation has gained a superb international reputation for the early recognition of the world's leading scientists. Of the 298 individuals from 13 countries, including 42 Canadians, who have received Gairdner Awards, 79 have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.