Profiles of Leading Women Scientists on AcademiaNet.
Search among the members of the Leopoldina for experts in specific fields or research topics.
Year of election: | 2010 |
Section: | Physiology and Pharmacology/Toxicology |
City: | Cardiff |
Country: | Great Britain |
Research Priorities: Single channel currents in epithelial cells, Ca2+ release from nuclear envelopes, intracellular Ca2+ tunnels, role of IP3 receptors in alcohol-related pancreatitis, CRAC channel blockade as treatment for pancreatitis
Ole Petersen is distinguished for studies, revealing the mechanisms by which secretion from exocrine glands are controlled. He pioneered single channel current recording in epithelial cells, characterizing several types of calcium-activated ion channels important for fluid secretion. He discovered hormone-evoked local calcium signals and showed that they controlled both fluid and enzyme secretion.
More recently, he has discovered how certain alcohol metabolites evoke excessive calcium release from intracellular stores, thereby initiating pancreatitis, a human disease in which the pancreas digests itself and its surroundings. He has defined the intracellular receptor mechanisms responsible for alcohol-related pancreatitis and shown how they can be blocked.