Ernest Wright, UCLA physiologist and Member of The Physiological Society, whose research led to the development of new drugs to control diabetes, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences.
Ernest was named a fellow of the British Royal Society in 2005, an honour considered one of the highest accolades a scientist can achieve next to the Nobel Prize, and in 2006 he was elected to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. His research focuses on the structure, function and genetics of membrane transport proteins, which act as the gatekeepers for the body by carrying essential molecules in and out of cells. Research in Wright’s laboratory on the cloning and function of glucose transporters has already led to the development of new drugs to control diabetes. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honours presented to scientists in the USA; its membership includes Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright and Alexander Graham Bell. The National Academy of Sciences rolls currently list 2,179 active academy members, and 437 foreign associates.
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by a congressional act of incorporation signed by Abraham Lincoln that calls on the academy to act as an official adviser to the federal government, upon request, in any matter of science or technology. The academy is a private organization of scientists and engineers dedicated to the advancement of science and its use for the general welfare.
The Society would like to congratulate Ernest on this fantastic achievement.