Harry Oppenheimer Fellowship awarded to Professor Robert P. Millar, recognised for his contributions to the field of neuroendocrinology
Professor Millar currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Neuroendocrinology at the University of Pretoria, and as Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cape Town where he co-directs the MRC/UCT Research Group for Receptor Biology together with Professor Arieh Katz, based in the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine.
He has published in over 400 publications, holds 18 patents and his research has been cited by other academics more than 20,000 times. He was elected as President of the International Neuroendocrinology Federation in 2016, and currently serves as the editor-in-chief of the prestigious international journal Neuroendocrinology.
Professor Millar’s most recent research focuses on a breakthrough discovery that function can be restored to inactivating mutations in human G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are responsible for most cell communication. This breakthrough unlocks the possibility for precision personalised pharmaceuticals with the potential to treat a variety of diseases including blindness, obesity, diabetes, thyroid, muscle, kidney, and reproductive and mental health conditions.
The award was shared with Professor Lynn Morris, Research Professor at Wits University and Research Associate at the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), and is a member of the IDM’s International Scientific Advisory Board.