T

he Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) has awarded the title of doctor honoris causa for winning the 2003 Nobel Prize in chemistry to Peter Agre for his contributions to medical biochemistry and his work with aquaporin water channels.

Zeily Nurachman from ITB said the finding, in which Agre shared the Nobel Prize with physician Roderick MacKinnon from Rockefeller University, paved the way to better understanding many illnesses, like diabetes and neuron damage.

Agre received the award from ITB rector Kadarsyah Suryadi at an open event held at Sasana Budaya Ganesha in Bandung on Wednesday.

“He has received similar awards from 17 universities in the world,” said Zeily.

Agre delivered a speech on finding aquaporin to hundreds of audience members before accepting the award. Aquaporin is a family of water channel proteins found throughout nature and responsible for numerous physiological processes in humans.

ITB also appointed Agre as an adjunct professor in chemistry at the event.

The professor of John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said that he was honored to have received the award. The award showed a positive contribution toward science from Muslim society, he added.

His presence in Bandung was part of an event series called Bridges: Dialogues Toward a Culture of Peace facilitated by the International Peace Foundation.