Nobel Laureate Peter Agre Speaks at the Inaugural Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative Event in Russia

On 24-26 June in Moscow and St.Petersburg, Professor Peter Agre, awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will participate in the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, a global program that brings Nobel Laureates to universities and research centers to inspire and engage young scientists, the scientific community and the public.

Professor Agre will deliver two public lectures to inspire young scientists at Moscow State University, Moscow and Pavlov State Medical University, St. Petersburg. Students have had a deciding role in the topic to be presented. Via internet voting, over 500 students selected the topic ‘From Atomic Structures to Clinical Medicine’. He will also take part in a roundtable discussion about the role of science and scientists in modern society, where he will have an opportunity to exchange opinions with Russia’s leading biomedical scientists and physicians. A visit to AstraZeneca Russia is also scheduled and includes an inspiring talk about ‘What it’s like to be a Scientific Leader’.

Professor Agre says "I first visited Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia at age 17, as part of a student camping group. We encountered tremendous friendliness and high spirits and life was never the same afterwards. So I’m thrilled to be returning to participate in the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative and I’m looking forward to interacting with the students and researchers. The initiative also gives the online audience the opportunity to ask me questions via the website, so, if you’ve ever wanted to ask me anything, now is your chance!"post your question here. The most frequently asked questions will be put to Professor Agre and video clips of his responses will be made available on the Nobel Inspiration Initiative website shortly after the event.

The Initiative is organized by Nobel Media, the company managing media rights for the Nobel Prize, in partnership with AstraZeneca, a global innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company that focuses on scientific leadership as a key strategic priority. The partners have conducted similar events in China, India, Europe, and the US. This is the first such event in Russia and is hosted by AstraZeneca Russia.

Nenad Pavletic, President of AstraZeneca Russia said: ‘AstraZeneca’s partnership with Nobel Media is a great fit with our corporate strategy, which has a key focus on achieving scientific leadership. As part of our drive to become the number one partner for the scientific and medical community in Russia, we aim to expand scientific knowledge and promote the value of science in society’.

About Nobel Laureate Peter Agre

Peter Agre was jointly awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2003 "for the discovery of water channels" and with one half to Roderick MacKinnon "for structural and mechanistic studies of ion channels". A native Minnesotan, Agre studied chemistry at Augsburg College (B.A. 1970) and medicine at Johns Hopkins (M.D. 1974). Following Internal Medicine Residency at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals of Cleveland and Hematology-Oncology Fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Agre joined the faculty at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where his laboratory became widely recognized for discovering the aquaporins, a family of water channel proteins found throughout nature and responsible for numerous physiological processes as well as multiple clinical disorders. Following a term as Vice Chancellor at Duke Medical Center, Agre joined the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2008, where he is University Professor and Director of the Malaria Research Institute and Program Director of the NIH International Center of Excellence in Malaria Research for Zambia and Zimbabwe.

About the Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative and Nobel Media AB

Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative is a global program that brings Nobel Laureates to universities and research centers to inspire and engage young scientists, the scientific community and the general public by sharing the exciting stories about the Nobel Laureates and their Nobel Prize-awarded achievements. The Initiative is organized by Nobel Media AB, the company managing media rights for the Nobel Prize. Please visit: http://www.nobelprizeinspirationinitiative.org  Nobel Media®, Nobel Prize® are registered trademarks of the Nobel Foundation.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines for gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and infectious disease. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit: www.astrazeneca.com

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