By Duke Medicine News and Communications

DURHAM, N.C. – Peter C. Agre, M.D., winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will join Duke University Medical Center in July 2005 as vice chancellor for science and technology.

In this newly created leadership post, Agre will help guide the development of Duke's biomedical research enterprise in ways that will further enhance its efforts to support and attract the world's top scientists and students. In addition, Agre will lead an effort to assess health care needs on a global scale, and ensure that Duke's research programs are positioned to address those needs.

Agre's appointment was announced by Victor J. Dzau, M.D., chancellor for health affairs at Duke and president and CEO of the Duke University Health System.

"Peter is one of the most accomplished physician-scientists of our era," said Dzau. "But he is even further distinguished by his passion to improve the lives of people throughout the world. His interests span not only science and medicine, but also human rights and the education of children in math and science. His world view is perfectly matched to Duke's aspirations, and we are delighted that he will help us shape the future of this institution and medicine worldwide."

In his role as vice chancellor for science and technology, Agre will work closely with the chancellor for health affairs, the deans of the medical and nursing schools, and with the faculty to develop strategies for the future direction of science as well as the opportunities that will be enabled by rapidly evolving technologies.

"After many years as a bench scientist, I've become increasingly interested in contributing to science in a broader way," said Agre. "The work I'm about to begin at Duke will help to shape the next generation of scientists, who will determine whether our nation will continue to lead the world in science and medicine."

Agre, 55, received his medical doctorate from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1974. He took a residency in internal medicine at Case Western Reserve University and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1981, he returned to Hopkins where he progressed through the ranks of the departments of medicine and cell biology. In 1993 he joined the department of biological chemistry as a full professor. Agre was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences in 2000 and to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003.

In 2003, he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for revealing the molecular basis for the movement of water into and out of cells. His 1992 paper in the journal Science, with Johns Hopkins physiologist Bill Guggino, Ph.D., documented the discovery of the first water-channel protein – called an aquaporin – which facilitates the movement of water molecules into and out of cells through the cell membrane. Since then, Agre and his colleagues have found aquaporins to be part of the blood-brain barrier and also associated with water transport in skeletal muscle, lung and kidney. Researchers worldwide now study aquaporins, and have linked aberrant water transport to many human disorders.

In addition to his scientific talents, Dzau said he sought Agre's expertise as a champion and critic of scientific and medical issues that have important societal implications. Dzau said that he asked Agre to expand those efforts as part of his role at Duke. Making advocacy an institutional priority, he said, is needed to fill a void that exists nationally.

"Too often, academic medical centers and universities have been silent on issues that are important to the future of our society," said Dzau. "As leaders of these institutions, I think we have an obligation to express our views and step into the public debate on important issues. I have asked Peter to use his position at Duke to do precisely that.

"Peter's broad interests, ranging from scientific to humanitarian, will make him an invaluable resource to the entire Duke University community," said Dzau. "President Brodhead and I look forward to having Peter serving as a senior adviser to the provost, the deans and students across the campus."

Agre's dual role – as an architect who will help to shape Duke's medical research enterprise, and as public figure who will serve as the institution's spokesperson on key scientific issues – will be unique among academic medical centers in the United States, said Dzau.

One of the issues Agre says he will address early on is the urgent need to improve science and mathematics education in the nation's primary and secondary schools.

"In the 20th century, America led the world in producing important advances in medicine," said Agre. "We spawned new industries, such as biotechnology. But today, the state of science and math education in our public schools is in crisis, and it poses a threat to America's leadership in science. The need to reinvigorate science and math education must become a national priority."

Agre will begin a six-month sabbatical at Duke immediately during which time he will further refine his vice vhancellor duties as well as define how he will contribute to science programs across the campus and in the community. He will formally assume his duties as vice chancellor for science and technology at Duke University Medical Center on July 1, 2005.