WEHI Special Inflammation Seminar hosted by Professor James Murphy

Professor Dario Alessi OBE FRS FRSE FMedSci

Science Director – MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, University of Dundee, Scotland

Understanding the LRRK2 kinase and its role in Parkinson’s disease

Davis Auditorium

Join via TEAMS

Including Q&A session

Dario’s research focuses on unravelling the roles of poorly characterised components which regulate protein phosphorylation or ubiquitylation pathways that are linked to human disease. Dario, obtained a BSc (1988) and PhD (1991) from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. He carried out postdoctoral at the University of Dundee from (1991 to 1997), where he became fascinated by protein kinases and how they are regulated by insulin, growth factors and other extracellular signals that control almost all aspects of cell biology. In 1997 Dario became a program leader in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, where he was appointed as its Director in 2012.

Much of Dario’s current work is focused on biological research that is relevant to better understanding, treating, and preventing Parkinson’s disease. Dario also serves as the Director of the Dundee Signal Transduction Therapy Unit, a unique collaboration between scientists at the University of Dundee and pharmaceutical companies dedicated to accelerating research and development.

Dario is passionate about mentorship, open science, sharing, working with industry and clinicians, as well as fostering a collaborative culture. He is motivated to bring talented scientists into the Parkinson’s research field and improve awareness of issues relating to equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, and mental health.

Dario was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2002), Fellow of the Royal Society (2008), and Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences (2012). He received the EMBO Gold Medal (2005), the Francis Crick Prize of the Royal Society (2006), the MJFF Langston Award (2017), the Louis Jeantet-Collen Prize for Translational Medicine (2023), an Order of the British Empire (2023) and the MJFF Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research (2023).

All Welcome!