Akhilesh Reddy is a British physician-scientist. He studied on the MB/PhD programme at the University of Cambridge and received a PhD from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology. He was a Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Sciences at the University of Cambridge. He is currently an associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Research

In 2011, Reddy's research group made a significant breakthrough by revealing the existence of circadian clocks within human red blood cells (erythrocytes). This discovery challenged prior assumptions that mammals lacked circadian clocks without DNA, RNA production, or protein production. The oscillations observed in red blood cells could be interpreted as a form of biochemical or chemical oscillation, extending over a prolonged 24-hour timeframe. The impact of this work garnered recognition from notables like Sir Christopher Dobson, who drew parallels to established short-period oscillations in chemical systems. The research received commendation within the circadian rhythms research community, with peers describing it as 'exceptional' in post-publication peer reviews on Faculty of 1000.

In collaboration with the research team led by Andrew Millar in Edinburgh, Reddy's group extended their contributions by demonstrating 24-hour oscillations that manifest in marine algae without necessitating RNA production. This groundbreaking finding represented the inaugural display of circadian rhythms in higher organisms without the involvement of new RNA formation.

In 2012, Reddy's research group unveiled a comprehensive revelation: redox circadian oscillations are universally present across evolutionary epochs, spanning from bacteria to humans. This insight was enabled by the utilization of peroxiredoxin proteins, a novel molecular perspective into circadian dynamics. Michael Rosbash, a Nobel laureate, acknowledged the significance of this contribution, highlighting how it challenged conventional animal models that emphasized PER-CLK transcription. Rosbash underscored the emerging consideration of metabolism and peroxiredoxin hyperoxidation in the orchestration of circadian rhythms.

In 2018, Reddy's team showed the intimate links between core glucose metabolism and circadian transcriptional oscillations, as well as non-canonical circadian rhythms in clock-less fruit fly cells. These findings show that there continues to be an incomplete understanding of molecular circadian rhythms in a range of organisms.

Controversy

In December 2019, Reddy underwent a hearing at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal regarding alleged overpayment by both University College of London and the University of Cambridge. Reddy was suspended for nine months from the medical practice in the United Kingdom; the case is subject to an appeal in the High Court, and sanctions have not yet been applied.

Awards 
 2011: EMBO Young Investigator Award.
 2012: Lister Prize.
 2012: Colworth Medal.
 2013: Academy of Medical Sciences Foulkes Foundation Medal.
 2014: Elected to American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
 2014: FEBS Anniversary Prize.
 2015: Linacre Medal and Lecture (Royal College of Physicians).

References

21st-century British medical doctors
British scientists
Wellcome Trust
Living people
20th-century births
Chronobiologists
Year of birth missing (living people)
Members of the American Society for Clinical Investigation