Professor Sir Mark Pepys is a distinguished clinician scientist whose pioneering work has significantly advanced the understanding and treatment of systemic amyloidosis. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, he came to the United Kingdom in 1948 and received his education at Trinity College Cambridge as a Senior Scholar before studying medicine at University College Hospital Medical School. He completed his PhD in Immunology and established himself as a leading researcher in protein-related diseases, building expertise that would transform diagnostic approaches to challenging medical conditions. He served as Head of Medicine at the Royal Free Campus of University College London from 1999 to 2011, where he developed a world-renowned research program focused on amyloid diseases and therapeutic development.
Sir Mark's revolutionary development of serum amyloid P component (SAP) scintigraphy enabled the first non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of systemic amyloidosis, transforming clinical management of this previously challenging condition. His identification of SAP and CRP as therapeutic targets led to the creation of novel compounds designed to inhibit and deplete these proteins, with drug development efforts conducted in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline and supported by the UK Medical Research Council and British Heart Foundation. The establishment of the UK NHS National Amyloidosis Centre in 1999 under his leadership created a world-class facility for patient care and research, significantly improving survival rates for amyloidosis patients. His work has fundamentally altered the diagnostic paradigm and therapeutic approaches to systemic amyloid diseases globally, with his methods now considered standard practice in clinical management.
As a Fellow of the Royal Society and Founder Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, Sir Mark has profoundly influenced biomedical research through his service on both academies' Councils and his advocacy for academic-industry collaboration in drug development. His exceptional contributions were recognized with the Royal Society GlaxoSmithKline Prize in 2007 and the Ernst Chain Prize in 2008, culminating in his knighthood for services to biomedicine in the 2012 New Year Honours. Following his tenure as Head of Medicine, he became the first Director of the UCL Wolfson Drug Discovery Unit, establishing a model for translational research that bridges fundamental science and clinical applications. His ongoing work continues to shape the future of amyloidosis treatment while serving as an exemplar of how academic research can drive meaningful therapeutic innovation with global patient impact.
