The new Fellows have been elected to the Academy in recognition of their exceptional contributions to the advancement of biomedical and health science, cutting edge research discoveries, and translating developments into benefits for patients and wider society.
This year Fellows were chosen from 365 candidates and will be formally admitted to the Academy at a ceremony on Wednesday 18 September 2024.
Adam Mead is a Professor of Haematology and leads a team of researchers at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine focused on a group of blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). These conditions affect over 40,000 people in the UK alone, causing intractable symptoms, blood clots and increased risk of leukaemia.
Professor Mead also oversees patient care and clinical trials in this area at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He and his team are investigating how normal blood cell production becomes disrupted during the development of MPN, with the ultimate goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment of these largely incurable forms of blood cancer.
Professor Mead's laboratory have pioneered new techniques to analyse the genetic information contained within individual cancer cells, providing multiple key conceptual advances in the field.
Professor Mead said: 'I am delighted and honoured to have been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences. Credit goes to the wonderful mentors as well as the talented scientists and clinicians I have had the pleasure to work with over the years. I feel very lucky to be able to work at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford which is an immensely enjoyable and motivating environment in which to study the molecular basis of blood diseases.'