Sir Peter Ratcliffe, Nobel Prize winner for medicine, visits Reuben College
On Tuesday 6th February, Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe FRS FMedSci, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2019 "for discoveries of how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability" came to Reuben College to give one of the ‘Dining with Dinosaurs’ talks to a packed College Dining Hall.
One of Reuben’s Research Fellows, Dr Rebecca Behrens writes: “Sir Peter didn’t just share his findings; he took us on a thrilling journey through the serendipitous world of scientific exploration, echoing Abraham Fletcher's sentiments on the "usefulness and uselessness of knowledge." In diving into biology's fundamentals, Peter Ratcliffe uncovered hidden gems that paved the way for his ground-breaking discoveries.
His exploration of cellular responses to oxygen levels revealed a remarkable discovery: the mechanism regulating erythropoietin production extends far beyond its initial role. This oxygen-sensing process influences a wide array of biological responses to hypoxia across nearly all animal cells, including energy metabolism, angiogenesis, and cell survival.
Sir Peter Ratcliffe explained how evolution is not always taking the most direct way, as it is not newly built like a German autobahn but follows more the rules of street building in France, where old streets are connected to make new ways, which are not always the most direct. He concluded with the quote from François Jacobs, another Nobel Prize winner, “nature is a tinkerer, not an engineer”.
Reflecting on the highs and lows of the scientific journey, Sir Peter’s conclusion echoed with the Rolling Stones’ iconic lyrics, "You cannot always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes, you find you get what you need." These words encapsulated the essence of scientific exploration – a journey filled with twists and turns, challenges, and ultimately, moments of revelation.
Sir Peter Ratcliffe with Reuben College President, Lionel Tarassenko and Official Fellow, Jane McKeating
Read Rebecca's full blog post here.
