Peter Leslie Dutton
FRS is a British
biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...
, and Eldridge Reeves Johnson Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics in the
Perelman School of Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...
.
He is a 2013 recipient of the
John Scott Award for his work on
electron transfer, studying the organization of electrons in cells and the mechanisms by which they convert light or oxygen into energy for the cell.
Education
Leslie Dutton was born in England. He received a B.Sc. (Honors) in Chemistry at the
University of Wales in 1963, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Wales in 1967.
Research
In 1968, Leslie Dutton joined the University of Pennsylvania,
where he now leads the Dutton lab at the Perelman School of Medicine.
He is also Principal Investigator at the Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center.
Dr. Dutton attempts to understand elementary processes of oxidation-reduction and related biological events. Natural enzymes called
oxidoreductases are involved in biological functions including gene regulation, signalling, long range
electron transfer,
energy conversion (in photosynthesis and respiration), atom transport, drug detoxification, and
enzyme catalysis
Enzyme catalysis is the increase in the rate of a process by a biological molecule, an "enzyme". Most enzymes are proteins, and most such processes are chemical reactions. Within the enzyme, generally catalysis occurs at a localized site, calle ...
. Using physical, chemical and computational methods, the Dutton lab studies oxidoreductases and redox proteins to discover mechanisms of
electron transfer over large distances through proteins and understand
quantum mechanical electron tunneling theory.
Understanding electron tunnelling gives scientists a foundation for investigation of biological redox reactions and their relationship to chemical events such as proton exchange,
protein conformation
Protein structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid-chain molecule. Proteins are polymers specifically polypeptides formed from sequences of amino acids, the monomers of the polymer. A single amino acid monomer may ...
, and energy conversion.
Through their understanding of such processes, Dutton and his lab have been able to manipulate electron transfer in structured highly simplified settings, and create man-made versions of proteins. Such maquettes, simple versions of their highly complex biological counterparts, enable researchers to model the minimal requirements for function. Futuristic applications could include creation of clean energy sources and prevention of genetic and age-related diseases.
Awards and honors
*
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
, elected March 15, 1990
* Eldridge Reeves Johnson Professor, 1991
* Fellow of the University College, University of Wales, 1994
* Peter Mitchell Medal, Glynn, 1994
* Keilin Medal of the Biochemical Society, 1994
* IBM Partnership Award, 1995
* John Morgan Society, 1999
* Senior Visiting Fellowship, St. John's College, Oxford, 2001
* Frontiers in Biological Chemistry Award: Max Planck Institute Mulheim, Germany, 2002
* Randolph T. Major Medal: Merck & Company and The University of Connecticut, 2006
* The First Sir William Dunn Scholar, Cambridge, 2007
*
John Scott Medal, 2013
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dutton, Leslie
Fellows of the Royal Society
British biochemists
British biophysicists
University of Pennsylvania faculty
Living people
Alumni of the University of Wales
Year of birth missing (living people)
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania faculty