Miratul Muqit elected Fellow of Royal Society of Edinburgh  

Professor Miratul Muqit
Professor Miratul Muqit

Miratul Muqit has been elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s National Academy. The 2020 intake of Fellows join the current roll of 1600 and are elected from a wide range of disciplines including physical and life sciences, arts, industry, and public life. Election to the Royal Society of Edinburgh recognises both excellence and impact in research.

Miratul joined the MRC PPU in 2008 and his research has focused on deciphering the cellular mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease. His group have advanced understanding on the function of the PINK1 kinase and Parkin ubiquitin E3 ligase and uncovered a role of these proteins in a mitochondrial stress pathway that is critical for neuronal survival.

Commenting on the award Miratul said “I am honoured to be elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. This recognises research undertaken by many talented students and post-docs in my lab who have worked on understanding the molecular basis of Parkinson’s disease – an ever more prevalent disease that remains incurable. I am particularly grateful to the Wellcome Trust and others for providing long term funding for our work. In recent years we have also benefitted richly from interacting with people with Parkinson’s who have motivated us to work harder on our research quest. In the future I hope to put something back into Scottish science through the wider work of the RSE in education and public engagement.”

Dario Alessi, Director of the MRC PPU added “This honour is richly deserved for the huge contribution that Miratul has made to unravel the mechanisms by which mutations in the PINK1 gene leads to Parkinson’s disease. Miratul’s work has resulted in new therapeutic strategies that are now being explored that could ultimately slow or even prevent Parkinson’s disease progression. Miratul who is also a practising clinician has also greatly contributed to enabling Parkinson's patients in Scotland to participate in research projects. Miratul is the 5th PI in the MRC PPU to be elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.”

Principal Investigator