Edmond Fischer, who with Edwin Krebs, discovered the first example of the regulation of protein function by reversible phosphorylation was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by the University of Dundee on June 20th, 2008. In 1955, Fischer and Krebs found that glycogen phosphorylase could be converted to its active form in a phosphorylation reaction catalysed by phosphorylase kinase, the first protein kinase to be identified. It later became clear that phosphorylation regulates almost every aspect of cell life and that normal phosphorylation is a cause or consequence of many diseases. As a result, kinases have become the pharmaceutical industry's most important drug targets and about a third of the R & D budget of the pharmaceutical industry is devoted to this area. The full laureation address was delivered by Philip Cohen to an audience of 2,000 during the Life Sciences graduation ceremony in the Caird Hall at Dundee.

To read the full address,