The Nobel Committee and its programme “Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative” conducted their first meeting in Russia. The distinguished participant of the meeting was an American scientist Peter Agre, 2003 Nobel prize winner in chemistry.
The meeting with Russian scientists, students, postgraduates and mass media was conducted yesterday in the Main Assembly Hall of the Moscow State University. AstraZeneca, one of the most prominent innovative pharmaceutical companies, partner of the Skolkovo Foundation biomedical cluster, became the co-organizer of the event. With OtUS as one of its informational partners, the meeting took place in the frameworks of the All-Russian Science Festival.
Peter Agre received the highest scientific award for discovering aquaporin – a membrane channel-forming protein, playing a key role in water-salt metabolism of the cell. Earlier it was considered that water could penetrate the cell only through diffusion but this concept didn’t explain how water metabolism could occur quickly. With discovery of aquaporin it became clear that protein forms pores, or porous channels through which water can penetrate the cell (thus its name aquaporin).
About aquaporin
As Agre said, lack of aquaporin-1 (there are several types of the protein) results in decrease of so-called “hydro conductivity” in humans, which can bring to a number of complications. “Collection chamber” of aquaporin-1 are kidneys. In case of such complications as diabetes, problems with aquaporin can provoke even more dangerous consequences for the human. Besides, according to the scientist, aquaporin is an important protein regulating water metabolism in secretory glands, it is required for water metabolism in brain cells, lung cells, many other vitally important organs. Agre reminded that in 2003 when Europe was stricken by an unseen heat and draught (for two months temperature held at +40°C), many unforeseen lethal cases were registered. After this discovery, scientists and doctors have a better understanding of the underlying reasons of organism dehydration.
Peter Agre. About his life
Peter Agre is connected with Russia in many ways. He started the meeting by showing his photos from his internship at Moscow State University during his student years (today the scientist is 64 years). He said that he loved Russia and was happy to find himself once again in one of his alma maters. Self-sacrifice of Nobel prize winners and their devoted service to science have become legendary. The story of Peter Agre is probably a classic in this respect: for many years he, raising three children, lived very modestly and conducted his experiments in a tiny lab. But the ironic and cheerful Peter Agre always has a cheerful answer to anything, he doesn’t lose spirit, tells funny stories about those times, treats difficulties with humour, and the audience awarded him with applause many times during the evening.
“My mother always told me to do something useful and stop wasting time on examining test tubes. I’m sure, having learned that I became a Nobel prize winner, she’d still say: that’s all great but when will you finally do something useful”. Many scientists who have dedicated decades of their lives to one research have probably faced such situations. Agre still decided to do “something useful” as his mother used to demand. And, having discovered protein which creates “water channels” in cells, Agre decided to dedicate his life to the problem of disease fighting again. His current sphere of activities is research in the sphere of fight with malaria. Photos he has made in Africa show how dangerous this job is and how it demands full devotion. Today he leads the Institute of Research of Malaria at the Bloomberg School of Healthcare (Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland).
Below are several interesting quotes from the answers of the Nobel prize winner and members of the NobelMedia team to the questions of professors and students:
Is there such a notion as national science or is all science international by default?
Agre: No one can claim “ownership over science”, of course it’s global. However there are trends. For example, in 2003 when I was awarded there was a trend that the majority of Nobel prize winners came from the USA and Russia. (In 2003 Alexey Abrikosov and Vitaliy Ginzburg were awarded for their input in theory of superconductivity and superfluidity – author’s remark).
Is it difficult to receive a Nobel prize?
This question was answered by Adam Smith, editorial director of NobelMedia, who arrived at the Moscow State University together with Agre: I am often asked how hard one has to work to get a Nobel prize. This is my answer: you don’t have to work at all, you must love very much what you do as a scientist. Love it like you love a game, for example. But you have to play this game with all your might.
Do you believe in God, how is religiousness combined with scientific concept of the world?
Peter Agre: I have Scandinavian roots, I was raised in a religious family, since childhood I have lived respecting God. But I never asked myself if there is God or not, because I understood that as a scientist I won’t be able to practically confirm conclusions about any of these statements. Let’s say I am an atheist – so what? I don’t know how to prove that there is no God. And I don’t want to think about it, but I find that after all people must be judged by what they have done on earth, by their activities, their work.