The Royal Society has awarded Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe, Clinical Research Director at the Francis Crick Institute and Director of the Target Discovery Group at the University of Oxford, with the Buchanan Medal for his ground-breaking research on oxygen sensing and signalling pathways mediating cellular responses to low oxygen levels or 'hypoxia'.
First awarded in 1897, the Buchanan Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society for distinguished contributions to the biomedical sciences.
In 2016 Professor Ratcliffe was also awarded the Lasker Award for his discovery of the mechanisms by which cells sense and signal hypoxia - an important component of many human diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, and anaemia.
Professor Ratcliffe said: "The Royal Society awards are more than just a personal honour. They highlight the world-class research being carried out here, and are a tribute to the research teams who make this work possible.
"As our knowledge of science increases, so does the complexity of making further discoveries, opening up whole new fields of exploration. These awards will help to raise awareness of the pioneering work being done in each of these fields."
Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said: "The Royal Society has a long-standing tradition of celebrating the best and brightest scientists. The winners of this year's medals and awards have made outstanding contributions to their field and I congratulate them for their distinguished work and the advancement of science as a whole."
