Professor Ole Petersen, who is the George Holt Professor of Physiology, has been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). Ole Petersen, who is also Medical Research Council Research Professor and IUPS Secretary General, said:
“I am delighted to have been awarded a CBE and am particularly pleased that the citation is for services to science. I am both grateful and happy that my scientific work and involvement with many scientific societies, including the Royal Society and the Physiological Society, have been recognised in this way.
“The award is a major encouragement to my research group and myself in our continuing efforts to understand the mechanisms underlying acute pancreatitis.”
Pancreatitis is a common and serious illness caused by gallstones or by drinking excess alcohol. It is often fatal as the pancreas digests itself and its surroundings.
Currently, there are no drugs to successfully treat the disease so the work that is being carried out by the research group is vital.They are looking at the involvement of changes in calcium ion concentrations as a trigger of pancreatitis and have recently been awarded a Medical Research Council grant to test substances that could be used to prevent or treat the disease.

Professor OH Petersen CBE  Buckingham Palace 7 May 2008

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