SCIENCE HAS it all, the thrill of discovery, explaining how the world works and the possibility of helping others. "Science really can save the world," says the winner of the 2009 RDS/ Irish TimesBoyle Medal for Scientific Excellence.
Prof Luke O’Neill was speaking last night at the RDS concert hall after being awarded the Boyle Medal.
He then delivered his Boyle laureate's address: From Passion to Practical Benefits: Why It's Great to Be a Scientist.
An engaging and entertaining speaker, the Trinity College Dublin professor of biochemistry set out for his large audience how science was “great as a profession as a way to look at the world and as an important human activity”.
Science had helped us understand the world around us and “has been superbly successful in explaining where we come from, where we are and where we are going”, Prof O’Neill said.
There were no bars to entry into this profession. “All you need is your own ability. You don’t have to worry about what school you come from or who you are.”
He described his own research work into the causes of inflammation and auto-immune diseases such as arthritis in an effort to explain “ how wonderful it is to discover new things. It is like having a puzzle to solve.”
One of the most important aspects of science was that it could benefit others, not just those making the discoveries.
He described how after 15 years of research into the causes of inflammation and the discovery of many of its biochemical secrets, he and his collaborators set up a company called Opsona Therapeutics.
This company has developed drugs that will be tested in humans next year, that may both save lives and improve the quality of life for many.
Kidney transplants often fail because of inflammation in the donor organ, but the new drug blocks this, greatly improving the chances of kidney survival.