Stephen O'Rahilly

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Professor
Sir Stephen O'Rahilly
FRS FRCP FRCPI FRCPath FMedSci FRSB MRIA
Professor Sir Stephen O'Rahilly.jpg
Born (1958-04-01) 1 April 1958 (age 66) [1]
Dublin, Ireland
CitizenshipIreland
United Kingdom
Alma mater University College Dublin (MB, BCh, BAO, MD)
Spouse
Suzy Oakes
​
​
(m. 1990;died 2011)​
Awards
Scientific career
Fields Bariatrics
Institutions
Website www.mrl.ims.cam.ac.uk/research/principal-investigators/professor-sir-stephen-orahilly

Sir Stephen Patrick O'Rahilly (born 1 April 1958) is an Irish-British physician and scientist known for his research into the molecular pathogenesis of human obesity, insulin resistance and related metabolic and endocrine disorders. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Contents

Early life and education

O'Rahilly was born on 1 April 1958 in Dublin, Ireland. [11] [12] He was educated at Beneavin De La Salle College in Finglas, Dublin. [1] He studied medicine at University College Dublin, graduating in 1981 with Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, Bachelor of Obstetrics (MB BCh BAO) degrees. [11] [12] He later continued his studies and completed a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree in 1987. [12]

Research

O'Rahilly undertook research into Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance at the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School, before joining the University of Cambridge where he is a Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine, Director of the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science-Metabolic Research Laboratories, [13] Director of the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit [13] and co-director of the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science. He is also the scientific Director of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Associate Faculty at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and honorary consultant physician at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. [14] [15] [16] He is a professorial fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Notable Cambridge scientists with whom O'Rahilly has shared paper authorship include Krishna Chatterjee, David Dunger, Sadaf Farooqi, Nita Forouhi, Antonio Vidal-Puig, Nick Wareham, and Giles Yeo.

Awards and honours

O'Rahilly was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 1999, the Royal Society in 2003. His nomination reads:

Stephen O'Rahilly has made major contributions to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying human disorders of energy balance and metabolism. His work first established that mutations in single genes could result in severe human obesity and that these defects largely acted through disruption of central satiety mechanisms. These findings have altered clinical approaches to the evaluation of the obese child and have identified a subtype of obesity amenable to dramatically effective therapy. His studies of patients with extreme insensitivity to insulin have also provided new insights into human insulin action and its disruption in states of insulin resistance. [17]

He was awarded the Heinrich Wieland Prize [18] in 2002, the InBev-Baillet Latour Health Prize in 2010 [19] and the Debrecen Award for Molecular Medicine in 2014. [20] He delivered the 2016 Harveian Oration [21] at the Royal College of Physicians of London.

O'Rahilly was knighted in the 2013 Birthday Honours for services to medical research. [22] [23]

In 2017, he became a member of the Royal Irish Academy. [24] In 2018, he was made an Honorary Doctor of RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin. [25]

In 2019, O'Rahilly was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (LSW). [26] He was also awarded the Banting Medal for his contributions towards diabetes research by the American Diabetes Association in the same year. [27]

O'Rahilly was awarded the Croonian Medal in 2011 by the Royal College of Physicians. He was awarded it again, by the Royal Society in 2022, this time jointly with Sadaf Farooqi and they presented their lecture [28] at the Royal Society in 2022.

In 2023, O'Rahilly was awarded the OU Health Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes for his outstanding research into the link between obesity and Type 2 diabetes. [29]

Personal life

O’Rahilly lives in Cambridge, England with his wife, journalist Philippa Lamb, and his stepson Felix Lamb. He was married to Suzy Oakes from 1990 until her death in 2011.

He holds dual Irish and British citizenship. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Endocrinology</span> Branch of medicine dealing the endocrine system

Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions known as hormones. It is also concerned with the integration of developmental events proliferation, growth, and differentiation, and the psychological or behavioral activities of metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sleep, digestion, respiration, excretion, mood, stress, lactation, movement, reproduction, and sensory perception caused by hormones. Specializations include behavioral endocrinology and comparative endocrinology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metabolic syndrome</span> Medical condition

Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of at least three of the following five medical conditions: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides, and low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL).

Insulin resistance (IR) is a pathological condition in which cells in insulin-sensitive tissues in the body fail to respond normally to the hormone insulin or downregulate insulin receptors in response to hyperinsulinemia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdominal obesity</span> Excess fat around the stomach and abdomen

Abdominal obesity, also known as central obesity and truncal obesity, is the human condition of an excessive concentration of visceral fat around the stomach and abdomen to such an extent that it is likely to harm its bearer's health. Abdominal obesity has been strongly linked to cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and other metabolic and vascular diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type 2 diabetes</span> Form of diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes (T2D), formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, fatigue and unexplained weight loss. Other symptoms include increased hunger, having a sensation of pins and needles, and sores (wounds) that heal slowly. Symptoms often develop slowly. Long-term complications from high blood sugar include heart disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy, which can result in blindness, kidney failure, and poor blood flow in the lower-limbs, which may lead to amputations. The sudden onset of hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state may occur; however, ketoacidosis is uncommon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leptin</span> Hormone that inhibits hunger

Leptin, also known as obese protein, is a protein hormone predominantly made by adipocytes. Its primary role is likely to regulate long-term energy balance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adipose tissue</span> Loose connective tissue composed mostly by adipocytes

Adipose tissue is a loose connective tissue composed mostly of adipocytes. It also contains the stromal vascular fraction (SVF) of cells including preadipocytes, fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells and a variety of immune cells such as adipose tissue macrophages. Its main role is to store energy in the form of lipids, although it also cushions and insulates the body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adiponectin</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Adiponectin is a protein hormone and adipokine, which is involved in regulating glucose levels and fatty acid breakdown. In humans, it is encoded by the ADIPOQ gene and is produced primarily in adipose tissue, but also in muscle and even in the brain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Resistin</span> Mammalian protein found in Homo sapiens

Resistin also known as adipose tissue-specific secretory factor (ADSF) or C/EBP-epsilon-regulated myeloid-specific secreted cysteine-rich protein (XCP1) is a cysteine-rich peptide hormone derived from adipose tissue that in humans is encoded by the RETN gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cambridge Biomedical Campus</span> Science park in Cambridge, UK

The Cambridge Biomedical Campus is the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe. The site is located at the southern end of Hills Road in Cambridge, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Flier</span> American physician

JeffreyFlier is an American physician, endocrinologist; widely cited scientist; the Higginson Professor of Medicine and Physiology at Harvard Medical School; and a Distinguished Service Professor at the same institution. He was the 21st Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Harvard University from 2007 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrik Rorsman</span>

Patrik Rorsman is a Swedish scientist who is Professor of Diabetic Medicine at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen R. Bloom</span>

Sir Stephen Robert Bloom FRS is a British Professor of Medicine at Imperial College London where he leads the Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sadaf Farooqi</span> British consultant physician

Ismaa Sadaf Farooqi is a Wellcome Trust Senior Research fellow in Clinical Science, professor of Metabolism and Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a consultant physician at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krishna Chatterjee</span> British endocrinologist (born 1958)

Vengalil Krishna Kumar Chatterjee is a British endocrinologist. He is a professor of endocrinology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge. He is also the director of the Cambridge Clinical Research Centre, part of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

Nita Gandhi Forouhi is a British physician and academic, specialising in nutrition and epidemiology. She is Professor of Population Health and Nutrition at the University of Cambridge, the programme leader of the nutritional epidemiology programme of its MRC Epidemiology Unit, and an honorary consultant public health physician with Public Health England.

Charles Nicholas "Nick" Hales was an English physician, biochemist, diabetologist, pathologist, and professor of clinical biochemistry

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonio Vidal-Puig</span> Spanish medical doctor and scientist

Antonio Vidal-Puig is a Spanish medical doctor and scientist who works as a Professor of Molecular Nutrition and Metabolism at the University of Cambridge (UK), best known for advancing the concept that pharmacological targeting of brown fat may serve to treat overweight and obesity in affected individuals, as well as for introducing the concept of adipose tissue "expandability" as an important factor in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in the context of positive energy balance. His published work focuses on areas such as adipose tissue metabolism and lipotoxicity, regulation of insulin secretion, and the pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. In April 2024, he was granted the rank of doctor honoris causa from the King Juan Carlos University, Madrid.

Rachel Louise Batterham is a British physician who is a professor of Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology at University College London. She established the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Bariatric Centre for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery. She has extensively studied obesity, and has contributed to clinical management and the understanding of obesity-related diseases.

Deborah Marie Muoio is the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Disease at Duke University. She is known for her work on diabetes, obesity, and metabolism.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "O'RAHILLY, Prof. Stephen" . Who's Who . Vol. 2015 (online Oxford University Press  ed.). A & C Black.(Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ↑ Neill, U. S. (2013). "A conversation with Stephen O'Rahilly". Journal of Clinical Investigation. 123 (6): 2335–2336. doi:10.1172/JCI70726. PMC   3668822 . PMID   23722908.
  3. ↑ Weston, K. (2011). "Translating metabolic biochemistry into the clinic: An interview with Steve O'Rahilly". Disease Models & Mechanisms. 4 (2): 141–144. doi:10.1242/dmm.007641. PMC   3046085 . PMID   21357759.
  4. ↑ Gerken, T.; Girard, C. A.; Tung, Y. -C. L.; Webby, C. J.; Saudek, V.; Hewitson, K. S.; Yeo, G. S. H.; McDonough, M. A.; Cunliffe, S.; McNeill, L. A.; Galvanovskis, J.; Rorsman, P.; Robins, P.; Prieur, X.; Coll, A. P.; Ma, M.; Jovanovic, Z.; Farooqi, I. S.; Sedgwick, B.; Barroso, I.; Lindahl, T.; Ponting, C. P.; Ashcroft, F. M.; O'Rahilly, S.; Schofield, C. J. (2007). "The Obesity-Associated FTO Gene Encodes a 2-Oxoglutarate-Dependent Nucleic Acid Demethylase". Science. 318 (5855): 1469–1472. Bibcode:2007Sci...318.1469G. doi:10.1126/science.1151710. PMC   2668859 . PMID   17991826.
  5. ↑ Stephen O'Rahilly's publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  6. ↑ Oʼrahilly, Stephen; Montague, C. T.; Farooqi, I. S.; Whitehead, J. P.; Soos, M. A.; Rau, H.; Wareham, N. J.; Sewter, C. P.; Digby, J. E.; Mohammed, S. N.; Hurst, J. A.; Cheetham, C. H.; Earley, A. R.; Barnett, A. H.; Prins, J. B. (1997). "Congenital leptin deficiency is associated with severe early-onset obesity in humans". Nature. 387 (6636): 903–8. Bibcode:1997Natur.387..903M. doi: 10.1038/43185 . PMID   9202122. S2CID   205032762.
  7. ↑ Seminara, S. B.; Messager, S.; Chatzidaki, E. E.; Thresher, R. R.; Acierno, J. S.; Shagoury, J. K.; Bo-Abbas, Y.; Kuohung, W.; Schwinof, K. M.; Hendrick, A. G.; Zahn, D.; Dixon, J.; Kaiser, U. B.; Slaugenhaupt, S. A.; Gusella, J. F.; O'Rahilly, S.; Carlton, M. B. L.; Crowley, W. F.; Aparicio, S. A. J. R.; Colledge, W. H. (2003). "TheGPR54Gene as a Regulator of Puberty". New England Journal of Medicine . 349 (17): 1614–27. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa035322 . PMID   14573733.
  8. ↑ Farooqi, I. S; Jebb, S. A.; Langmack, G.; Lawrence, E.; Cheetham, C. H.; Prentice, A. M.; Hughes, I. A.; McCamish, M. A.; O'Rahilly, S. (1999). "Effects of Recombinant Leptin Therapy in a Child with Congenital Leptin Deficiency". New England Journal of Medicine . 341 (12): 879–84. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199909163411204 . PMID   10486419.
  9. ↑ Payne, F.; Lim, K.; Girousse, A.; Brown, R. J.; Kory, N.; Robbins, A.; Xue, Y.; Sleigh, A.; Cochran, E.; Adams, C.; Dev Borman, A.; Russel-Jones, D.; Gorden, P.; Semple, R. K.; Saudek, V.; O'Rahilly, S.; Walther, T. C.; Barroso, I.; Savage, D. B. (2014). "Mutations disrupting the Kennedy phosphatidylcholine pathway in humans with congenital lipodystrophy and fatty liver disease". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (24): 8901–8906. Bibcode:2014PNAS..111.8901P. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1408523111 . PMC   4066527 . PMID   24889630.
  10. ↑ "Professor Steve O'Rahilly, Head of Department and Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine". University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014.
  11. 1 2 Ellen Ruppel Shell, Fat Genes, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2000
  12. 1 2 3 "O'Rahilly, Sir Stephen (Patrick), (born 1 April 1958), Professor of Clinical Biochemistry and Medicine (formerly Professor of Metabolic Medicine), Departments of Medicine and Clinical Biochemistry, since 1996, Head, Clinical Biochemistry Department, since 2002, and Director, Institute of Metabolic Science, Metabolic Research Laboratories, since 2007, University of Cambridge; Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge, since 2007; Hon. Consultant Physician, Addenbrooke's Hospital, since 1994; Director, MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit (formerly MRC Centre for Obesity and Related Metabolic Diseases), since 2007; Scientific Director, NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, since 2010". Who's Who 2023 . Oxford University Press. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Stephen O'Rahilly, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories". Archived from the original on 14 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre Web Site".[ dead link ]
  15. ↑ Roberts, E. W.; Deonarine, A; Jones, J. O.; Denton, A. E.; Feig, C; Lyons, S. K.; Espeli, M; Kraman, M; McKenna, B; Wells, R. J.; Zhao, Q; Caballero, O. L.; Larder, R; Coll, A. P.; O'Rahilly, S; Brindle, K. M.; Teichmann, S. A.; Tuveson, D. A.; Fearon, D. T. (2013). "Depletion of stromal cells expressing fibroblast activation protein-α from skeletal muscle and bone marrow results in cachexia and anemia". Journal of Experimental Medicine . 210 (6): 1137–51. doi:10.1084/jem.20122344. PMC   3674708 . PMID   23712428. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  16. ↑ Loos, R. J.; Lindgren, C. M.; Li, S; Wheeler, E; Zhao, J. H.; Prokopenko, I; Inouye, M; Freathy, R. M.; Attwood, A. P.; Beckmann, J. S.; Berndt, S. I.; Prostate, Lung; Jacobs, K. B.; Chanock, S. J.; Hayes, R. B.; Bergmann, S; Bennett, A. J.; Bingham, S. A.; Bochud, M; Brown, M; Cauchi, S; Connell, J. M.; Cooper, C; Smith, G. D.; Day, I; Dina, C; De, S; Dermitzakis, E. T.; Doney, A. S.; et al. (2008). "Common variants near MC4R are associated with fat mass, weight and risk of obesity". Nature Genetics. 40 (6): 768–75. doi:10.1038/ng.140. PMC   2669167 . PMID   18454148.
  17. ↑ "EC/2003/27: O'Rahilly, Stephen Patrick". London: The Royal Society. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  18. ↑ Heinrich Wieland Prize Archived 12 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "Professor Stephen O'Rahilly wins the 2010 InBev-Baillet Latour Prize". Disease Models & Mechanisms. 3 (7–8): 402. 2010. doi: 10.1242/dmm.006080 . PMID   20610691.
  20. ↑ "Debrecen Award for Molecular Medicine". University of Debrecen. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Harveian Oration and dinner 2016". Royal College of Physician. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  22. ↑ "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 1.
  23. ↑ Stephen O'Rahilly knighted, BBC News, 14 June 2013
  24. ↑ "18 New Members of the Royal Irish Academy". Royal Irish Academy. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  25. ↑ "RCSI celebrates graduation of 900 healthcare and research professionals". Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. 15 November 2018.
  26. ↑ LSW Honorary Fellows The Learned Society of Wales, 20 May 2019
  27. ↑ 2019 Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement - Stephen O'Rahilly, MD, ADA Diabetes Pro, 20 May 2019
  28. ↑ Croonian Medal and Lecture The Royal Society, 14 April 2022
  29. ↑ McIntosh, Kate (7 June 2023). "2023 OU Health Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes". For staff. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  30. ↑ Keenan, Dan (15 June 2013). "Irish research scientist to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth". The Irish Times .
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