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On behalf of all of us, and more than 120,000 Johns Hopkins alumni,
I want
to add my congratulations to those pouring in from around the world
for
Peter Agre, who today was named co-winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize for
Chemistry.
Dr. Agre, professor of biological chemistry and medicine in the School
of
Medicine, is the 30th person associated with Johns Hopkins to win a
Nobel
Prize. As a 1974 graduate of the School of Medicine, he is the 13th
alumnus
or alumna of the university to do so, in a line that dates back to Woodrow
Wilson Ph.D. 1886, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919.
We can take particular pride in the fact that this is the second year
in a
row that a current member of the faculty has been recognized with the
world's most prestigious prize in science. Dr. Agre joins Riccardo
Giacconi, research professor of physics and astronomy, who received
last
year's Nobel Prize in Physics.
Dr. Agre's discovery in 1991 of the mechanism that cells use to transport
water through their membranes has had a profound effect on the subsequent
course of biological science. Prior to his discovery, most scientists
believed that water molecules moved across cell membranes by the process
of
diffusion. Dr. Agre determined that there were special channels that
facilitated rapid transport of water across the cell membrane, channels
enabled by very specific proteins called aquaporins.
Thanks to his work, we now have a greater understanding of a number
of
diseases caused by malfunctions within the water transport system.
Scientists throughout the world are now putting that knowledge to work
in
their research on treatments.
Dr. Agre today acknowledged the contributions of the graduate students
and
faculty colleagues at Johns Hopkins who worked with him on the experiments
that led to his important discovery.
He indicated that he was especially fortunate to be in the right place
at
the right time -- "sort of like being up at the plate and having
the
pitcher throw you a fast ball right down the middle of the strikes zone."
Peter Agre's profoundly important work, its impact on science and its
increasing implications for medical care exemplify the work of all of
us at
Johns Hopkins in advancing knowledge for the sake of our world. We are
honored by his association with us and we offer him our deepest and
most
enthusiastic congratulations.
Sincerely,
Bill Brody
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