Mark Pepys facts for kids

Sir Mark Brian Pepys, born on September 18, 1944, is a famous British medical scientist. He was a Professor of Medicine at University College London until 2011. He also led the Medicine department at the Hampstead Campus and the Royal Free Hospital.

Early Life and Education

Mark Pepys was born in Cape Town, South Africa. His father, Jack Pepys, was also a doctor. Mark moved to the United Kingdom in 1948. He first studied at the University of Cambridge. Later, he became a medical doctor at University College London Medical School. He then went back to Cambridge. There, he earned his PhD in Immunology in 1973. Immunology is the study of the body's defense system against diseases.

Awards and Special Recognition

Sir Mark Pepys has received many important awards for his work. These awards recognize his discoveries in medicine.

GlaxoSmithKline Prize

In 2007, he won the GlaxoSmithKline Prize. This award was for his excellent work as a clinical scientist. He found specific proteins that could be new targets for medicines. He also developed new drugs that might help with diseases like amyloidosis, Alzheimer's disease, and heart problems.

Fellow of the Royal Society

In 1998, Mark Pepys was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honor for scientists. His nomination highlighted his important contributions in three main areas:

• Complement and Immune Response: He discovered how the body's immune system uses "complement" to make antibodies. Antibodies are special proteins that fight off germs.
• Pentraxin Proteins: He was a pioneer in studying pentraxin proteins. These include C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid P component (SAP). These proteins are helpful for doctors to manage patients.
• Amyloidosis: He is a leading expert on amyloidosis. This is a group of diseases where abnormal proteins called amyloid build up in organs. He found that SAP can stick to calcium, which explains why it builds up in amyloid. He also found that SAP can interact with DNA.

He also introduced a special way to find amyloid in the body. This method uses radiolabelled SAP. It has greatly improved our understanding of amyloidosis and how to treat it. He also discovered that changes in certain proteins, like lysozyme, apolipoprotein AI, and transthyretin, can cause amyloid diseases.

Director of Amyloidosis Centre

In 1999, he became the director of the University College London Centre for Amyloidosis and Acute Phase Proteins. This center focuses on studying and treating these conditions.

Ernst Chain Prize

Mark Pepys also won the 2008 Ernst Chain Prize. This award from Imperial College London recognized his important work on amyloid diseases.

Knighthood

In 2012, Mark Pepys was made a knight. This honor was given to him for his great services to biomedicine.

See also

• SAP scan

References