Irish geneticist W.H. Irwin McLean has devoted the better part of the past two decades to studying rare, single-gene skin disorders. His work on these diseases led him to filaggrin, “a really weird gene,” that plays a role in the development of dry, flaky skin. Surprisingly, mutations in that same gene are also involved in complex allergic disorders such as atopic eczema and asthma. McLean is a professor of human genetics at the University of Dundee, UK, and has degrees in microbiology and biochemistry from Queen’s University Belfast.
A native Londoner, Richard Smith has worn many hats throughout his career: doctor, editor, businessman, passionate advocate of open-access publishing, and television personality—to name a few. He is currently the director of the UnitedHealth Chronic Disease Initiative, which strives to combat illnesses such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer in the developing world. “Eighty percent of those deaths ...
