It is with great sadness that we would like to share the news that Professor John Priestley has passed away, after a long illness.
John Priestley was Emeritus Professor of Experimental Neuroscience in the Blizard Institute, at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Prior to his retirement, he was Professor of Cell Biology in the Centre for Neuroscience and Trauma and led the newly formed Centre from 1998 to 2008. He retired because of ill-health in 2013.
Professor John Priestley had graduated in Natural Sciences from Clare College Cambridge, and went on to study for a PhD at the University of Oxford, followed by a Beit Memorial Research Fellowship. It is during his doctoral studies with Professor Claudio Cuello in Oxford, that he developed his love of histology and microscopy. Subsequently, he held a Visiting Assistant Professor position at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. John Priestley’s first academic appointment was in the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry at the Medical School of Guy’s and St Thomas’s, where he spent 12 years. Professor Priestley moved to Queen Mary University of London in 1997, to take up a personal chair in the Anatomy Department.
John Priestley’s research interests included the anatomy and neurochemistry of dorsal root ganglion neurons and spinal cord neurons, with a focus on the response to injury, and the organization of pain pathways. He characterised the neurochemical properties of primary sensory neurons, and his work revealed important principles concerning the regulation of their function by target-derived and injury-derived growth factors. His observations have made a major contribution to the development of therapies for peripheral neuropathies and other neuropathic pain conditions. Professor Priestley has also made important contributions to the spinal cord injury field, through his work on biomaterial-based conduits for spinal cord repair and the exploration of neuroprotection strategies. John had a reputation for his exceptional flair for microanatomy, and in 2006 one of his research images won the Wellcome Trust Biomedical Images award; in the same year he was awarded the Combined Royal Colleges Medal of the Royal Photographic Society “for the outstanding example of photography in the service of medicine and surgery”. In recognition of his significant research in the field of neurotrauma, John Priestley was elected Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the International Spinal Research Trust, a position he held for many years.
Throughout his career, John was a dedicated mentor to many junior scientists. The students and colleagues with whom Professor Priestley worked will always remember John for his scientific rigour, his kindness and generosity, his gentle sense of humour, and his sense of wonder at the complexity and beauty of the nervous system. He will be greatly missed.
Adina T. Michael-TitusProfessor of NeuroscienceCentre Lead