Peter St George-Hyslop facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter St George-Hyslop
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| Belle and Murray Nathan Professor of Neurology, Columbia University | |
| Assumed office 2022 |
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| Professor of Experimental Neuroscience, University of Cambridge | |
| In office 2007–2022 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Henry St George-Hyslop
10 July 1953 |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
Peter Henry St George-Hyslop (born July 10, 1953) is a scientist from both Britain and Canada. He is a medical scientist, a neurologist (a doctor who studies the brain), and a molecular geneticist (someone who studies genes). He is famous for his important research into diseases that affect the brain and nerves.
Professor St George-Hyslop is one of the most often quoted experts in the field of Alzheimer's disease research. He has found several key genes that cause nerve cells to break down. These genes are also linked to early forms of Alzheimer's disease.
Contents
Discovering Important Genes
Professor St George-Hyslop's work has led to the discovery of several important genes. These include the presenilins (called PSEN1 and PSEN2), Nicastrin, TREM2, Apolipoprotein E, and SORL1 genes. Changes in the presenilin genes are the most common cause of Alzheimer's disease that runs in families. He also helped find the gene for the amyloid precursor protein. This protein is important in understanding Alzheimer's.
Family Background
Peter St George-Hyslop's father, Noel St George Hyslop, was also a scientist. His father worked on the virus that causes Foot and Mouth Disease.
Education and Career Path
Peter St George-Hyslop went to Wellington School in Somerset, UK. He then moved to Canada for his medical training. He earned his medical degree (MD) in 1976.
After that, he did more research in internal medicine and neurology. He studied at the University of Toronto and Harvard Medical School.
Early Career
His first job was at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital. There, he taught about molecular genetics and neurology from 1987 to 1991. In 1991, he joined the University of Toronto. Since 2003, he has held the university's highest rank, University Professor.
From 1995 to 2018, Professor St George-Hyslop was the director of the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases. This center is part of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine.
Work in Cambridge and Columbia
Since 2007, Professor St George-Hyslop has led an Alzheimer's disease research program. He was a Professor of Experimental Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. In 2022, he became the Belle and Murray Nathan Professor of Neurology at Columbia University.
Awards and Recognition
Professor St George-Hyslop has received many awards for his important work.
- In 1987, he received the Metlife Foundation Award for Medical Research in Alzheimer's Disease.
- He was given the Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Scholar Award in 1997 and again in 2002.
- In 1994, he earned the Gold Medal in Medicine from the Royal College of Physicians of Canada.
- The Canadian Institutes of Health Research gave him the Michael Smith Award in 1997.
- In 2014, he was awarded the Dan David Prize.
He is also a member of several important scientific groups. These include the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of London and the Royal Society of Canada. He is also a Foreign Member of the Institute of Medicine of the United States National Academies. In 2018, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.
