P D Allen

Professor P D Allen is a Professor of Anaesthesia at the University of Leeds, UK, and holds Emeritus status at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on muscle physiology, malignant hyperthermia, and calcium regulation in striated muscles. He has held academic and clinical roles across institutions including Harvard, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and UC Davis. Notable awards include the MHAUS Distinguished Contribution Award (2007) and FAER Honorary Lecturer (2006). His work explores ryanodine receptor structure-function relationships and gene therapy applications using CRISPR-Cas9.

Education:

• PhD in Physiology, University of Florida (1973)
• MD, Boston University (1967)
• BA in Medicine, Boston University (1967)

Research Interests: Over 40 years, Prof. Allen’s work has centered on calcium regulation in muscle cells, particularly the ryanodine receptor’s role in E-C coupling. He pioneered genetically engineered mouse models (e.g., dyspedic mice) to study protein interactions and has explored HSV1/AAV vectors for gene therapy in diseases like Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Recent advancements include CRISPR-Cas9 for creating disease models.

Awards:

• Academy of Anesthesia Mentors Founding Member (2004)
• Vandam Lecturer (2001)
• Paul D. Allen Chair in Anesthesia Research (2007)

Professional Memberships:

• American Society of Anesthesiology
• Biophysical Society
• Academy of Anesthesia Mentors (FAER)

Labs/Teams: Active in the Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James’s, collaborating on E-C coupling protein interactions and gene therapy vectors.