Salvador Moncada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Salvador Moncada
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|---|---|
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| Born | 3 December 1944 |
| Other names | Salvador Enrique Moncada Seidner |
| Citizenship | United Kingdom Honduras |
| Alma mater |
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| Known for | Prostacyclin |
| Spouse(s) |
Princess Marie-Esméralda of Belgium
(m. 1998) |
| Children | 4 |
| Awards | |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pharmacology |
| Institutions | |
Sir Salvador Enrique Moncada Seidner (born 3 December 1944) is a famous scientist from Honduras and Britain. He is a pharmacologist, which means he studies how medicines and other chemicals affect the body.
He is currently a research leader at the University of Manchester. Before this, he led research at the Wellcome Research Laboratories and started the UCL Wolfson Institute at University College London.
Sir Salvador is well-known for his discoveries about how a special molecule called nitric oxide works in the body. This work has been very important for understanding many body processes.
In 2023, the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, chose Sir Salvador to be Honduras's first Ambassador to China. This happened after Honduras started to recognize the People's Republic of China. The Embassy in Beijing opened in June 2023.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Salvador Moncada was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on December 3, 1944. His parents were Salvador Moncada and Jenny Seidner. In 1948, his family moved to El Salvador.
He studied medicine at the University of El Salvador from 1962 to 1970. In 1971, he moved to London, England. There, he worked on his PhD degree with scientist John Vane at the Royal College of Surgeons.
After some research in Honduras, he joined the Wellcome Research Laboratories. He became the director of research there in 1986. In 1996, he moved to University College London. He started and led the Wolfson Institute for Biomedical Research until 2012.
Amazing Discoveries
Sir Salvador's science career began with important work on aspirin. He helped discover that aspirin-like drugs stop the body from making certain chemicals called prostaglandins. This explained how aspirin helps with pain, fever, and swelling. It also showed why aspirin can sometimes upset the stomach.
In 1975, at the Wellcome Research Laboratories, his team found an enzyme called thromboxane synthase. They also discovered prostacyclin, a chemical that helps blood vessels relax. This research helped us understand how small doses of aspirin can prevent heart attacks and strokes.
As a research director, he helped develop several important medicines. These include lamotrigine for epilepsy, atovaquone for malaria, and zomig for migraine headaches. He also started work that led to lapatinib for breast cancer.
He was also key in finding out that nitric oxide acts as a messenger in the body. His lab did a lot of early work on how nitric oxide affects the heart and blood vessels. They also studied its role in the nervous system and in cancer. More recently, his work has looked at how cells get energy and grow.
Publications and Other Work
Sir Salvador has written over 500 scientific papers and reviews. These papers are often cited by other scientists.
He is also very interested in how doctors are taught. He wants to help science and technology grow in Latin America. He has worked as a consultant for the Panamerican Health Organization. He also started Honduras Global, a group of experts who help Honduras develop.
Awards and Special Honors
Sir Salvador Moncada has received many awards and honors from around the world. He is a member of many important scientific groups.
- He became a Foreign Member of the National Academy of Sciences in the USA in 1994.
- He was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London in 1994.
- In 1988, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), which is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
He has also received honorary degrees from more than twenty universities. These include degrees from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
Some of his major prizes include:
- The Prince of Asturias Award (1990).
- The Royal Medal from the Royal Society (1994).
- The Louis and Artur Lucian Award (1997).
- The Gold Medal of the Royal Society of Medicine (2000).
- Le Grand Prix Annuel Lefoulon-Delalande (2002).
In 2010, Queen Elizabeth II made him a Knight for his great contributions to science. In 2013, he received the Ernst Jung Gold Medal for Medicine.
Family Life
Sir Salvador was married to Dorys Lemus, a biochemistry teacher. They had two children: Claudia Regina (born 1966), who is a doctor in London, and Salvador Ernesto (1972–1982).
On April 5, 1998, he married Princess Marie-Esméralda of Belgium in London. They have two children together: Alexandra Leopoldine (born 1998) and Leopoldo Daniel (born 2001). They also have two grandchildren.
See also
In Spanish: Salvador Moncada para niños
