Professor Geoffrey Burnstock
Professor Burnstock returned to London in 1975, becoming Head of Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at University College London and Convenor of the Centre of Neuroscience. He has served as editor-in-chief of the journals Autonomic Neuroscience and Purinergic Signalling and has been on the editorial boards of many other journals. He has been elected to the Australian Academy of Science (1971, the Royal Society (1986) and the Academy of Medical Sciences (1998), and was awarded the Royal Society Gold Medal (2000). He was President (1995-2000) of the International Society for Autonomic Neuroscience (ISAN), and was first in the Institute of Scientific Information list (1994-2004) of most cited scientists in Pharmacology and Toxicology.
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School and university years Developing the sucrose gap technique for smooth muscle Discovering the NANC transmitter, 1962 Discovering that ATP (or related nucleotide) is the potential NANC transmitter, 1970 The ATP transmission hypothesis Discovering co-transmission of ATP, 1976 Co-transmission in sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves Co-transmission in the NANC nerves Transmitter synergism The Chair of Anatomy at UCL, 1975 the secret of a successful department Discovering receptor antagonists theophylline Discovering receptor antagonists how caffeine works Adenosine receptors prove therapeutically disappointing Breakthrough in purinergic signalling concept, 1985 Discovering the first ATP receptors, 1990s Fast response receptors and the mysteries of P2X7 Interaction between purino and other receptors The next challenge linking purinoreceptors and behaviour ATP and evolution Purinoreceptors and embryological development Therapeutic outcomes clopidogrel Therapeutic outcomes - ATP and pain mechanisms Therapeutic outcomes - incontinence The dynamics of purinergic transmission Directed research or nurturing the creative spirit Ideas for future research and an offer to young scientists
