Professor Elizabeth Fisher elected Fellow of The Royal Society

Professor Elizabeth Fisher (Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) is part of a cohort of more than 90 researchers from a diverse range of scientific fields to be selected as the newest Fellows of the Royal Society.  

Earning a Fellowship of the Royal Society means membership to the UK’s national academy of sciences, which is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.  

Professor Elizabeth Fisher has helped to advance the field in identifying genes associated with Down syndrome which may be targets for potential therapies. She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2007, and received the 2011 Faculty Member of the Year Award for Neurological Disorders. Her research models motor neurone diseases such as ALS, and has led to pioneering breakthroughs in understanding the molecular changes involved in these diseases.   

Professor Fisher said: “Election to the Royal Society is an incredible honour, and it is a reflection of all the wonderful people whom I’ve been privileged to have come through my lab, and a fantastic and collegiate set of long-term collaborators.   

“Working at UCL has given me access to a breadth and depth of neuroscience expertise that it would be hard to find anywhere else, and I have been lucky to benefit from the exceptionally close ties between basic scientists and clinicians at the Institute of Neurology, that have informed our experiments and provide a constant reminder of the need for translation.” 

Professor Pietro Fratta elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences

Professor Pietro Fratta (Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology) is part of a cohort of 60 biomedical and health scientists to be elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship this year.

The new Fellows, who have been elected for their contributions to advancing medical science, join a Fellowship of over 1,500 researchers at the Academy of Medical Sciences, which aims to nurture scientific talent and shape research and health policy both in the UK and worldwide.

Professor Pietro Fratta is an MRC Senior Clinical Fellow and MNDA Lady Edith Wolfson fellow at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and honorary consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN).

His research focuses on molecular mechanisms and biomarkers of motor neurone disease (MND) and Kennedy’s disease, also known as spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). His clinical activity is within the MND group at NHNN. Professor Fratta has a specific interest in MND genetics and Kennedy’s disease, and runs an MND Genetics clinic and a Kennedy’s disease clinic, the only clinic dedicated to this disease in the UK.

Professor Fratta said: “It is an honour to have been elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences.

“This recognition is thanks to the truly outstanding people working in my lab, and the collaborators I’ve had the privilege to work with throughout the years.

“I feel privileged to continue to work on understanding the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and developing novel ways to treat these devastating diseases.”

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