A CAMELFORD scientist has won a prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry prize, after working to recognise changes in structure of tissue molecules.

Professor Melinda Duer, who works at the University of Cambridge, is the Royal Society of Chemistry Interdisciplinary Prize winner for 2017. She was born at Luton and spent her early years in Western Australia, before attending Sir James Smith School in Camelford.

Professor Duer works to understand how the molecules that make up the bulk of the tissues give those tissues the robustness they need to deal with every day life. Disease, especially degenerative diseases like osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and diabetes, changes the structure of these molecules.

Professor Duer tracks those changes in structure to work out where they come from and what the consequences are for people’s health.

On receiving the prize, she said: “I am really honoured to receive this award. There are so many fantastic chemists out there, engaged in innovative interdisciplinary work that for my work to be recognised within this field is an important acknowledgement of the key role that chemistry increasingly plays in understanding complex biological questions.

“Our health in the UK is constantly threatened by degenerative diseases — diabetes, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis; neurological degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s. Finding cures for these diseases is accelerating because of the effective collaboration between chemists, biologists, clinicians and other scientists.”

The interdisciplinary prize is awarded for work at the interface between chemistry and other disciplines. Professor Duer received £5,000, a medal and a certificate.

Dr Robert Parker, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “It is an honour to celebrate the innovation and expertise of our community through our prizes and awards.

“We know that chemistry can be a powerful force for good, and quality research and communication of that research are more important than ever before.

“Our charitable mission is to advance excellence in the chemical sciences, and we are proud to celebrate our inspiring and influential winners, who share that mission.”

Our prize winners are evaluated for the originality and impact of their research, as well as the quality of the results, which can be shown in publications, patents or even software. The awards also recognise the importance of teamwork across the chemical sciences, and the abilities of individuals to develop successful collaborations.

An illustrious list of 50 previous winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s award have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including all of the 2016 chemistry winners, Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart and Ben Feringa.