George Radda CBE FRS#
Obituary
, University of Oxford
Biography#
Professor Sir George Karoly Radda went to Oxford in 1956 from Hungary. He obtained his MA in Chemistry and D.Phil. in Physical Organic Chemistry at Merton College Oxford. Following a year of post-doctoral work with Melvin Calvin in Berkeley, California (1962-63) he returned to Oxford. Since then he held the following posts: Junior Research Fellow, Merton College (1961-64); Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, St. John’s College (1963-64); Departmental Demonstrator in Biochemistry (1964-66); Fellow and Tutor in Organic Chemistry, Merton College (1964-84); University Lecturer in Biochemistry (1966-84); British Heart Foundation Professor of Molecular Cardiology (1984-2003); Professorial Fellow, Merton College (1984-2003); Honorary Director MRC Biochemical and Clinical Magnetic Resonance Unit (1988-96); Head, Department of Biochemistry (1991-96); Chief Executive Medical Research Council (on secondment) (1996-2003); Chairman National Cancer Research Institute (2001-2003). Emeritus Professor of Molecular Cardiology and Fellow of Merton College Oxford (2003-2006). In 2006 Oxford University brought him out of retirement and appointed him as Professor and Head of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, University of Oxford (2006-2008) to bring about the merger of two department. Scientific Director and Chairman of the Singapore Bioimaging Consortium (2005- Dec 2010). Scientific Advisor to the Dean, National University of Singapore Medical School (2005-2011). Director, Functional Metabolism Research Group (Dec 2010 -2016) and Chairman Biomedical Research Council of A*-STAR, Singapore (2008 -2016 Dec 31).
Research
His research interests range from studies of enzyme regulation, bioenergetics and in vivo biochemistry in relation to human disease and in particular heart disease. His early work was concerned with the development of fluorescent probes for the study of structure and function of membranes and enzymes. He soon became interested in the possibility of extending his work to investigate complex biological materials using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). In 1974 he published the first paper on the use of phosphorus NMR to study tissue metabolites. The first report of a clinical application of 31P NMR was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1981, when his group studied a patient’s muscle metabolism in the rare condition of phosphorylase deficiency (McArdle’s syndrome). These developments led to the setting up of the first clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy unit in the world and to his appointment to the newly established British Heart Foundation Chair in Molecular Cardiology at Oxford. Since then (and later as Director of the MRC Biochemical and Clinical Magnetic Resonance Unit (1988-1996) he has been involved in the development of this technique for biochemical and Clinical investigations. His research programme in Singapore is aimed at understanding the biological basis of the metabolic syndrome and the mechanisms of interaction between the endocrine system (in particular insulin release and response) with the Central Nervous system. He is leading a new programme on cancer metabolism and the development of hyperpolarized Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.
Awards and Prizes
He was awarded the CBE in 1993 and Knighted in 2000. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1980. He has been awarded to following prizes – The Colworth Medal of the Biochemical Society (1969), Feldberg Foundation prize (1981), British Heart Foundation Gold Medal and Prize for Cardiovascular Research (1982), CIBA Medal and Prize Biochemical Society (1983), Gold Medal Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (1984), Buchanan Medal Royal Society (1987), Walter B. Cannon Memorial Lecture Award, American Physiological Society (1988), Skinner Lecture Medal Royal College of Radiologists (1989), Rank Prize in Nutrition (1991), Medal of Merit, International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences (2006). Budapest Semmeilweis Awards, 2011, BioSpectrum Asia-Pacific Life Time Achievement Award, (2013), Commander’s Cross Order of Merit of Hungary 2016, The Corvin Lanc Award and Member of the Corvin Lanc Tanacs, Hungary (2018).
Honours
Honorary FRCR (1985), Honorary FRCP(1997), Honorary Fellow American Heart Association (Citation for International achievement) (1987), Fellow Society of Magnetic Resonance (1994), Founder Fellow Academy of Medical Sciences (1998) Member EMBO (1997), Academia Europaea (1999), Fellow, International Society of Heart Research (2001), Fellow International Academy of Cardiovascular Sciences (2002), Honorary Professor, Peking Union Medical College (2001), Hon DM Bern University (1985), Hon DSc (Med) University of London (1991), Hon DSc: University of Sterling (1997), University of Sheffield (1999), Debrecen University Hungary (2001), Birmingham University (2003), Universite de la Mediterranee (2003), University of Aberdeen (2004) Hon Doctor of Medicine Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf (2004), Hon DSc Semmelweis University, Budapest (2004), Hon. DSc University of Hull (2005), Hon. DSc University of Leicester (2006), Honorary Member European Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology (2007), Public Service Medal (Friends of Singapore) (2008), Fellow of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance (ISMAR) (2008). Honorary Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2010). Singapore Honorary Citizen Award (2015).
Committees and Societies
Served on numerous committees of the MRC (including Council 1988-92), Royal Society Council (1990-92), ICRF Council (1991-96) and Chairman Scientific Advisory Committee (1994-1996), President Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (1985-86), Scientific Advisory Board, Biozentrum, Basel (1992-2006), Member Scientific Committee, Max Delbruck Centre, Berlin (2003-2009), Member International Advisory Council to the Biomedical Research Council Singapore (2003-2006); Trustee Cancer Research UK (2003-2005), Deputy Chairman (2004-2005); Non-executive Director BTG plc (1999-2005); Member Board of Biomedical Research Council, Singapore (2005-2016); Member of the Academic Research Council, Singapore (2006-2015); Member of A*-STAR Board (July 2009-2016).
