Ivan Ahel appointed Professor of Chemical Pathology
Ivan Ahel is a world expert in the protein modification ADP-ribosylation. He first established his independent research lab at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute in 2009, joining the Dunn School four years later.
Using a combination of biochemistry with genetic models, cell and structural biology, his group is interested in a fundamental understanding of ADP-ribosylation in cellular processes such as DNA repair, as well as its medical relevance in, for example, resistance to chemotherapy, neurological disorders and infectious disease. More recently, he has started to develop potent and specific ADP-ribosylation inhibitors for the treatment of some of these conditions, including COVID.
The E.P. Abraham Chair of Chemical Pathology is named after Sir Edward Penley Abraham, who together with Chain and Florey investigated the therapeutic potential of penicillin. He later discovered cephalosporins, and ensured that the royalties resulting from his patents were invested to the benefit of many, including this chair. Previous holders of this chair include Professor George Brownlee and Professor Neil Barclay.